4 Cardinal hitters who will get hot in the month of June

Lars Nootbaar

In Saturday’s exhilarating 7-6 win over the Cubs, Lars Nootbaar went 3-for-5 in perhaps the best game of 2024. He delivered a critical RBI triple in the bottom of the eight to provide what later proved to be the winning hit. That triple adds to the much-needed turnaround for Nootbaar’s offense as the Cardinals try to climb to a .500 record.

You can make the case that Lars Nootbaar has gotten hot right now. St. Louis Post-Dispatch journalist Ben Hochman has a series entitled Ten Hochman. On his May 23rd episode, he discussed how good Nootbaar has been for the Cardinals.

"When he gets the bat on the ball lately, he’s doing quite well lately. He recorded an RBI in his third straight game with a runner in scoring position yesterday. That’s, of course, impressive. He even got a hit off a lefty. First time since May 12th at Milwaukee, and his biggest play of all in yesterday’s win to sweep the Baltimore Orioles was that amazing catch. Amazing catch in right field! I did not think he was going to catch that. "

Ben Hochman

In addition to Hochman’s commentary, check this out:  

From now on, the big question for Nootbaar is if he can stay healthy and avoid the injury bug. Despite an OPS+ of .784 and a team-leading OBP of .367, Nootbaar appeared in only 117 games as he dealt with injuries to his thumb, back, and groin muscles. We know he broke two ribs in Spring Training this year, so his 2024 was already off to an inauspicious start. 

Since he finished April with a mediocre .189 batting average and a poor OBP of .296, Nootbaar batted .268 this month and raised his OBP this season to .338. With his health intact and decent production lately, look for Lars Nootbaar to continue his hot stretch into June.