ST. PETERSBURG -- Regardless of where Cardinals cornerstones Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado are -- in the batting cage, in the clubhouse cafeteria or on the bus ride to the ballpark -- high-energy outfielder Lars Nootbaar is usually not too far behind.
It’s all by design for Nootbaar -- even if it might sometimes annoy his perennial National League All-Star teammates.
“Yeah, I’m probably hanging around them a little too much. But when you are around greatness like that, you want to soak it up as much as you can,” said Nootbaar, who had a key stolen base and hit a solo home run in the Cardinals’ 6-4 defeat of the Rays on Wednesday night at Tropicana Field. “With these guys, there’s no secret pill as to why they are so good. You try to learn everything they do to get better in every facet. They’ve helped me develop as a person and a player.”
The 25-year-old Nootbaar has had a solid season, hitting a career-best .278 with 12 home runs -- two shy of last season’s career-high total. But early this year, he seethed at his inability to drive the baseball. While Nootbaar's 17.4 percent chase rate (98th percentile) and 14.3 percent walk rate (96th percentile) are among the best in the Majors, he was at wit’s end over seeing his average exit velocity and power numbers dip early this season. Of course, Nootbaar turned to Arenado, a fellow Southern Californian and his closest friend in baseball.
When Tampa Bay reliever Robert Stephenson left an 87.3 mph cutter up in the seventh inning, Nootbaar pounced and hit it a Statcast-projected 403 feet to right-center for a leadoff homer and a 6-3 lead. It provided insurance for the Cardinals, who got a solid start from Dakota Hudson and strong bullpen work from John King, JoJo Romero and Giovanny Gallegos.
Nootbaar said that home run was a result of extra work he had put in after talking hitting with Arenado and Goldschmidt. And it’s more like the power production he felt he should have been contributing all season.
“I was really frustrated with how the first half went, but I’m very optimistic with what could happen for me [in terms of power production], and it’s going to take a lot of work, for sure,” said Nootbaar. “That slug part of it was disappointing, and I just felt like I didn’t do what I could. I know that at the [All-Star] break, it was going to have to take a turn, and I really wanted that to happen. I was disappointed in what I did in the first half, for sure.”
After the Cardinals were shut out by the Rockies on Sunday and scored just two runs Tuesday in a loss to the Rays, their 2-1 deficit through two innings looked daunting. But that’s when Nootbaar gave the Redbirds a lift with his legs and his infectious energy.
With one out in the third inning, Nootbaar -- on second after a leadoff single and a fielder's-choice grounder -- and third-base coach Ron “Pop” Warner picked something up in reliever Kevin Kelly’s delivery, and Nootbaar stole third standing. Moments later, Arenado singled through the left side to plate Nootbaar and tie the game.
It’s those kinds of heady plays that lead Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol to hold Nootbaar in the highest regard.
“We have several gamers in that clubhouse -- [Brendan] Donovan is in that bucket and Noot’s in that bucket -- and they just love the game,” Marmol said. “That steal [by Nootbaar], that’s a big part of that game. The more guys you have picking up on the small details and love studying the game like Noot does, the better off we’ll be.”
In Nootbaar’s eyes, he’s just getting started being a key cog for the Cardinals, and he’s convinced his best days are ahead. After all, one helpful tip from Arenado over the All-Star break has helped Nootbaar slash .326/.427/.616 with seven home runs and 12 RBIs in 24 games after the break -- a marked improvement from his .259/.358/.382 line in the first half.
The big-picture goals Nootbaar has for himself are high -- as in, Arenado and Goldschmidt high.
“Privately, they are high, like, really high expectations for myself,” Nootbaar said. “[Arenado and Goldschmidt] are motivating, and it’s a tall task to keep up with these guys with what they’ve done in their careers. It’s rare for a guy in my shoes to be around two guys like that -- and Albert [Pujols] last season, too -- and be able to learn from them. At the end of the day, you want to be at the table with them -- whether you’re serving drinks to them or whatever. They’re role models for me, and I want to be just like them.”