Prospect Profile: Lars Nootbaar

By Drake Mann

(@Drakemann4 on Twitter)

While Nootbaar isn’t considered to be a top prospect for the Cardinals, he could end up being one of the more consistent bats in the Cardinals system.

The 21-year-old was a staple in the USC Trojans lineup from 2016-18 before being drafted 8th round in 2018. In that time, Nootbaar hit .272/.374/.415 with a 15.2 K% and a 13.7 BB%. He’s advanced through the minors quickly as he spent some time at the Double-A level, where he hit .269/.373/.312 with a .685 OPS. Fun fact, is that Nootbaar was a quarterback in high school.

Hitting

Nootbaar has an open stance that lets him attack the inside pitch well, his swing is short and compact that's good for consistent hard-hit rates. Nootbar is a balanced hitter at the plate as he hits to all fields well but what was interesting was his 50% opposite field percentage in Springfield. I do have some concerns about his ability to hit for much power as he had a 51.4% ground ball percentage at the Double-A level. However, he did blast seven home runs across three levels in 2019. Continuing, he has two loads, a toe-tap when he needs to put the ball in play and a leg kick when he wants to supply some power. While the Cardinals have their fair amount of high contact bats, Nootbaar has shown the potential to impact the game with his high on-base rates, as he has a career .334 on-base percentage in the minors. The potential plus hit tool for Nootbaar makes him an outfielder to watch shortly for the Cardinals. I could easily see him making his debut in late 2021 to early 2022.

Defense:

So far he’s shown some versatility as Nootbaar has played left field and right field in his minors career. While at USC he was also getting some reps at first base but he looks like an outfielder long term. While he has average speed and range in the outfield he has good arm strength that could make him a right fielder when it's all said and done for the young outfielder. Another big reason to like Nootbaar is he brings energy when he plays, which can boost the overall morale of a team.

Nootbaar needs some seasoning to stay more consistent, especially with him already debuting in Springfield is promising. The result could be a top of the order bat for the Cardinals that sets up the run producers quite well. I am a big fan of Nootbaar and you should be too.