5 Cardinals spring training stories that were overblown

Lars Nootbaar: Center fielder

The story: Last season, the Cardinals decided that Michael Siani's elite-level defense deserved most of the playing time in a lost season over youngster Victor Scott II, who struggled in his debut season. This loyalty to Siani created a scary sense of acceptance that he would again be the everyday center fielder despite his complete lack of offensive upside. With four outfielders already locked into the 26-man roster at the outset of the spring, Scott was an afterthought among fans because of last year's struggles and his awkward fit onto the already crowded roster. This got even more confusing when the team announced that Nootbaar would get plenty of run to win the center field job during Grapefruit League play.

Noot rated as an above-average outfielder in his first few seasons, but injury issues kept him out of the lineup for extended periods of time through his career, maxing out at 117 games in 2023. Typically, center field is seen as a more physically demanding position, and the thought of moving Nootbaar there would potentially set him up for even more injuries and missed time in what was looking to be a big season for the 27-year-old.

The results: Well, we are 18 games into the year, and Nootbaar has yet to step foot in center field, starting 14 times in left with the other two coming as the right fielder. This was not because of anything that he did in spring training to lose the job, but actually because of the incredible spring that Scott put together that made the Cardinals add him to the outfield mix as the starting center fielder.

Victor Scott making the roster also caused a lineup change for manager Oli Marmol. After shortstop Masyn Winn started most of his games last season and during the spring at the leadoff spot, Nootbaar has assumed the top of the order in every game so far this year. His patience at the plate has paid off in that spot so far, as he ranks top 15 in the National League in runs (12), walks (15), and on-base percentage (.422) while adding three doubles, three homers, two stolen bases, with 10 RBIs, and he has only struck out 12 times. Noot has been able to stick in left field thanks to a strong start to the season from VSII on both sides of the ball. If Scott were to struggle early, it is possible that Marmol would have tried to move Nootbaar from the corner spot to make up for any offensive shortcomings.

Remaining concern: In Nootbaar's case, the injury question will remain until he can prove he can stay healthy for an entire season. "Injury prone" is a tough label to put on the outfielder because many of the games he has missed due to injury were from freak incidents rather than soft tissue or overuse injuries. So far, Noot has remained league average in left field and has hit both lefties and righties at an equal clip. Beyond injuries, a way we could see Nootbaar slide over to center is if Scott struggles or Donovan gets moved to the outfield full-time due to performance or injury issues in the infield. Even if either of those situations were to happen, the Cardinals would most likely turn to Siani as the everyday option in center and bite the offensive bullet for as long as it takes for someone to return.