Ranking the Cardinals' 10 most important young players for their future

#4 - Lars Nootbaar

Yes, Lars Nootbaar, an international superstar, has become one of the most important pieces of the Cardinals' young core for many reasons.

You could argue that Nootbaar has the highest floor as a player while still having a high ceiling. Each of the guys above him on this list, outside of the number one guy, have lower floors than Nootbaar.

At his best, the 25-year-old is a very good defensive outfielder who provides great slugging and on-base skills from the left side. This is a very valuable player in today's game, obvious by the amount of interest other teams had in Nootbaar this offseason.

Nootbaar also has incredible charisma to him, making him a great player to have in your clubhouse and to try and produce a winning culture.

Nootbaar has earned the respect of guys like Nolan Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt, which tells me a lot about the kind of guy Nootbaar is.