6 Cardinals players who need to improve before it's too late

Lars Nootbaar needs to improve before it's too late

Lars Nootbaar was red-hot when he went down with an injury at the end of May, and it was a huge blow to a Cardinals team just beginning to find itself throughout a hot run. However, it seems once he got back, he went cold, as did the Cardinals' offense. In his last 30 games, Nootbaar has slashed just .212/.284/.318, and it's been even worse recently, with a sub-.350 OPS in his last 7 games. For a lineup in desperate need of right-handed bats and a logjam of left-handed hitters like Nootbaar, he's quickly playing himself out of a role.

With Jordan Walker back on the team, it looked like some of the weight could be lifted off Nootbaar's shoulders, but with Walker strictly platooning against left-handed hitters, Noot will need to carry his weight against the righties. While underlying metrics indicate he's getting a bit unlucky, the results must show quickly if the Cardinals hope to get back into contention. It's been yet another disappointing season in Lars Nootbaar's career, and it would be great if he could live up to his immense potential, at least in the final stretch of 2024.

Alec Burleson needs to improve before it's too late

Speaking of another left-handed bat that's ice cold right now, Alec Burleson's latest slump could not have come at a worse time. While Burleson was the Cardinals' most productive bat in the first half, his recent skid has been quite untimely for St. Louis. Throughout his past 15 games, Burleson has slashed .200/.250/.317, and his season OPS has dropped to .764. He was an All-Star-worthy player in the first half, but he's been quite disappointing since the trade deadline.

Nobody was expecting Burleson to be a key contributor as he was viewed as a fourth outfielder in Spring Training, but he's been one reason the Cardinals were competitive in the first half. Despite his overall struggles against left-handed pitching, the Cardinals will need Burleson once again to step up. He was one of the best hitters in the NL until the All-Star Break, and it would be great to have him keep up the production.