As he looks to get his offense off the ground, Cardinals outfielder Lars Nootbaar believes a key in turning pregame work into in-game results begins with separating mechanics from mentality.
He feels a recent stretch taught him so.
“I was telling these guys that there are a few games recently where I was thinking so much about mechanics and what I should be doing, where I wasn’t just being present in the box,†Nootbaar said on Saturday before starting in right field against the Dodgers. “I just think going out there and trusting that the work will show up, but then going out there and competing and just making sure that you’re putting your best foot forward because you can’t be thinking about too many things in the box while you’re doing all that stuff.â€
Entering Saturday, Nootbaar’s batting average sat at .226 while his on-base plus slugging percentage was at .687 through 70 games. Nootbaar, who ranked in the 99th percentile in chase rate, 90th in hard-hit rate, and 89th in walk rate over that same stretch, had hit seven home runs before the start of the weekend series against Los Angeles.
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After heading into spring training as the Cardinals’ projected starting left fielder, Nootbaar, 26, landed on the injured list in early March with fractured ribs. The start to his season was delayed until April 12 and, after his offensive results began to peak in May when he slashed .275/.370/.475 over a 22-game stretch, he spent all of June on the injured list with an oblique strain suffered on the final day of May.
Since coming off the IL in early July, Nootbaar has slashed .214/.283/.315 in 99 plate appearances.
“None of my offense has been where I want it to, so it’s just a matter of getting in the cage and making sure I’m working on the right things, and then sticking to an approach,†Nootbaar said. “I think that’s the main thing. Sticking to an approach and making sure I’m doing the right thing to get myself in a position to get there.â€
Having produced second-half resurgences in his last two seasons as a major leaguer, Nootbaar’s ability to lay off pitches out of the strike zone and limit swing-and-miss have been similar to his 2022 and 2023 seasons. But in 2024, the 26-year-old’s ground ball rate has jumped from 49.7% in 2023 to 53.8%.
Nootbaar described the process of working through changes in the middle of the season as one in which he must reevaluate at-bats from recent days to see what can be done differently to improve. He expressed there is not a need for a “complete overhaul†with swing mechanics as the Cardinals enter the final six weeks of the regular season.
“It’s a long season,†Nootbaar said. “It’s a 162-game season. It’s a marathon as opposed to a sprint, so when you’re going well, it feels good and when you’re not, it’s not.â€
As a part of the more crowded Cardinals outfield mix following the trade acquisition of Tommy Pham and the major league call-up of Jordan Walker, Nootbaar emphasized the concept of improving upon each day while letting the “results speak for themselves.â€
“You just want to be present, compete against the guy that’s pitching against you,†he said.
Pages’ tape- measure blast
It wasn’t until rookie catcher Pedro Pages returned to the dugout following his home run trot that he saw where his 462-foot solo home run landed on Friday night.
Pages recalls looking at the deep fly bat for “a little bit†before turning to the Cardinals dugout and staring at his teammates as he made his way down the first base line in the fifth inning of the Cardinals’ 7-6 loss to the Dodgers in the series-opener.
“It just felt good off the bat,†Pages said Saturday. “I saw how the ball was flying yesterday. It was flying a little different. I just kind of knew it was going and I just wanted to celebrate with the team. It was a good moment, for sure.â€
The 462-foot home run was the longest of the season by a Cardinal entering Saturday and the third-longest by a Cardinal at Busch Stadium in the Statcast era (since 2015).
Extra bases
For Players’ Weekend, Jordan Walker had custom-made cleats to honor the late Charles Peterson, the former Cardinals scout credited with signing Walker following the 2020 MLB draft. Peterson died due to complications from COVID-19 in the fall after Walker signed. Walker’s custom Nike cleats had Peterson’s full name featured across the sides of the body of the shoe, a photo of Walker and Peterson, and a street sign that reads “Charles Peterson Dr.â€
Jordan Walker's cleats recognizing the scout, Charles Peterson, who was credited with signing Walker as an amateur out of Georgia. Peterson died due to complications from Covid-19 the fall after Walker was drafted. They include a picture of Walker and Peterson.
— Lynn Worthy (@LWorthySports)
Michael Siani (right oblique strain) was cleared to swing a bat starting Saturday. The Cardinals will get a better sense of how quickly Siani can progress in his rehab once he begins a swing program.
Lance Lynn (right knee inflammation) is slated to throw a live batting practice session on Tuesday. Lynn threw a bullpen on Friday, which he described as being 75% of the intensity of a standard session.
Steven Matz (lower back strain) is expected to be reevaluated once he rejoins the Cardinals at some point this weekend following a 76-pitch rehab start with Class AAA Memphis on Friday. Matz threw 4 1/3 scoreless innings and reportedly came out of the rehab start well. Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said he expects Matz to make another rehab start before he is activated from the injured list.