ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - Superstar third baseman Nolan Arenado was the immediate impact bat that the St. Louis Cardinals were looking to add to their lineup before the 2021 season. His impact could go a lot deeper as he's taking young outfielder Lars Nootbaar under his wing.
The 24-year-old who made the most of his MLB debut last season told MLB Network's Hot Stove show that when he wraps up in the Arizona Fall League this month, he'll be headed to stay with the six-time All-Star and nine-time Gold Glove Award winner in California.
“I’ll be going down and working out with Nolan for a little bit, staying at his place and hitting with him," Nootbaar said. "I’m talking to him almost daily about it so I’m getting excited to get down there, pick his brain, see how he works in the offseason, so I can head into camp and attack it.”
You can watch his appearance on MLB Network, here:
The two reportedly became close over Nootbaar's 58 games with the Cardinals last season and their home towns are also less than an hour apart in Southern California (El Seguno for Nootbaar and Newport Beach for Arenado). They were debating the science of baseball, sharing cookies and celebrating together throughout the final months of the Cardinals season. Nootbaar was a spark plug, hitting five home runs with a .833 OPS after he was recalled to the big leagues in late July.
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And he's making the most of his opportunity now in the Fall League. He's among the league's stars, as he's currently fourth in the league with a 1.106 OPS and tied for fourth in home runs (5).
Although the Cardinals starting outfield will likely be Tyler O'Neill, Harrison Bader and Dylan Carlson in 2022, Nootbaar is a top candidate for the fourth outfield spot.
He says he's working to improve on "literally" every part of his game this offseason.
“I truly believe every single facet of my game can get better and it will get better," Nootbaar says.
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