Two games into the season, Lars Nootbaar has given every indication he’s going to make good on the statement he made two months ago during the annual Winter Warm-Up event at Busch Stadium.
When asked about the Cardinals making it very plain and declaring in no uncertain terms that the success of this year’s team will rest on the performance and progress of young players like himself, Nootbaar responded by saying that they understood that it was “our time to take that step.”
Nootbaar also said that in 2025, “there’s no hiding anymore.”
So far, Nootbaar has been front and center as the offensive catalyst for the Cardinals in a pair of wins to open the season. All he’s done is go 4-for-7 with a walk, a home run, four RBI and three runs scored while batting in the leadoff spot and setting the tone for an offense that came into the year as one of the biggest question marks in Major League Baseball.
The Cardinals didn’t add to their lineup this offseason. They subtracted Paul Goldschmidt, who homered and started a 20-run offensive outburst for the New York Yankees on Saturday.
The Cardinals’ Lars Nootbaar celebrates with first base coach Stubby Clapp after his line-drive single scored Alec Burleson and Ivan Herrera in the sixth inning against the Twins on Saturday, March 29, 2025, at Busch Stadium.
Robert Cohen, Post-Dispatch
The Cardinals fired their hitting coach after last season after a mediocre offensive season that included below league average scoring production, ranking in the middle 1/3 of the majors in batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage, and ranking in the bottom 1/3 in home runs hit.
We can’t forget that they were 83-79 last season despite having scored 47 fewer runs than they allowed — the first Cardinals team since 1975 to post a winning record with a negative run differential.
In December at the MLB Winter Meetings, president of baseball operations John Mozeliak said very definitively that the success of the offense in 2025 will depend upon the ability of returning players to improve. Mozeliak put the pressure squarely on players like Nootbaar.
Just as Nootbaar said, there’s no hiding anymore.
On Saturday, Nootbaar played a part in three of the Cardinals’ first four runs in a series-clinching 5-1 win against the Minnesota Twins at Busch Stadium. For the second game in a row, he started the day with a base hit and then scored the game’s first run in the first inning. Then with the Cardinals clinging to a one-run lead with two outs in the sixth inning, Nootbaar lined a two-run single into center field and gave the Cardinals a three-run advantage.
Thursday, Nootbaar started the game with a single, scored the season’s first run on a Brendan Donovan single and then scored the game’s second run the following inning with a two-out solo home run he blasted into the right field seats.
While two games represent a small drop in the bucket in a 162-game season, the fact remains Nootbaar’s production proved critical in both wins.
Last season, the Cardinals counted on Nootbaar being their everyday left fielder going into spring training. They traded Tyler O’Neill during the offseason and made it very clear how they envisioned their outfield — with Nootbaar starting.
However, a collision with an outfield wall in West Palm Beach fractured his ribs as well as the club’s plans for a stable everyday defensive alignment.
While the left-handed hitting Nootbaar continued to flash the mixture of plate discipline, hard contact and power that has excited and enticed the Cardinals for years, he failed to put together an extended stretch of impactful production. He finished the season with a slash line of .244/.342/.417 to go with 12 home runs and 45 RBIs.
The onus for offensive production hasn’t been placed entirely on the shoulders of Jordan Walker, Nolan Gorman and Nootbaar the way it was presented in December.
Nolan Arenado’s presence in the lineup as the cleanup hitter lifts some of the burden off the rest of the lineup and it has also resulted in Gorman having not taken an at-bat through the first two games.
Still, Nootbaar has not hidden.
There’s no more deferring to Goldschmidt and Arenado. It’s Nootbaar’s time, and he’s been noticeable. He’s started the season with a very loud bat, and he’s provided a jolt that has resonated through the lineup to start the season.
“He’s just a really good player,” Arenado said following the season opener. “If he stays healthy, he’s got a chance to do some special things. He’s my boy, and I always support him, and I always talk well about him, but I just see something really good coming.”
It’s just two games, but Nootbaar is not hiding, and the Cardinals need that from him. They need him healthy. They need him in the lineup. They need him setting a tone and helping establish an offensive identity.
The Cardinals’ Lars Nootbaar celebrates with first base coach Stubby Clapp after his line-drive single scored Alec Burleson and Ivan Herrera in the sixth inning against the Twins on Saturday, March 29, 2025, at Busch Stadium.
Robert Cohen, Post-Dispatch
St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Michael Siani goes to the wall to catch a deep fly ball hit by Carlos Correa of the Minnesota Twins in the ninth inning at Busch Stadium on Saturday, March 29, 2025.
Robert Cohen, Post-Dispatch
St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Lars Nootbaar robs Minnesota Twins’ Jose Miranda as he flies out with one man on base in the second inning at Busch Stadium on Saturday, March 29, 2025.
Robert Cohen, Post-Dispatch
St. Louis Cardinals Willson Contreras grounds out with a broken bat in the first inning against the Minnesota Twins at Busch Stadium on Saturday, March 29, 2025.
Robert Cohen, Post-Dispatch
Empty seats are seen behind St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado as he heads from the field in the fourth inning against the Minnesota Twins at Busch Stadium on Saturday, March 29, 2025.
Robert Cohen, Post-Dispatch
St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Erick Fedde works the first inning against the Minnesota Twins at Busch Stadium on Saturday, March 29, 2025.
Robert Cohen, Post-Dispatch
St. Louis Cardinals baserunner Jordan Walker is out stealing second base, picked off by Carlos Correa of the Minnesota Twins in the fourth inning at Busch Stadium on Saturday, March 29, 2025.
Robert Cohen, Post-Dispatch
St. Louis Cardinals baserunner Jordan Walker is out stealing second base, picked off by Carlos Correa of the Minnesota Twins in the fourth inning at Busch Stadium on Saturday, March 29, 2025.
Robert Cohen, Post-Dispatch
St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Erick Fedde rests in the second inning against the Minnesota Twins at Busch Stadium on Saturday, March 29, 2025.
Robert Cohen, Post-Dispatch
St. Louis Cardinals Masyn Winn strikes out swinging to end the second inning, leaving one baserunner against the Minnesota Twins at Busch Stadium on Saturday, March 29, 2025.
Robert Cohen, Post-Dispatch
St. Louis Cardinals Victor Scott II steals second base in the eighth inning under the attempted tag from Minnesota Twins Willi Castro at Busch Stadium on Saturday, March 29, 2025.
Robert Cohen, Post-Dispatch
St. Louis Cardinals pitcher JoJo Romero works the eighth inning against the Minnesota Twins at Busch Stadium on Saturday, March 29, 2025.
Robert Cohen, Post-Dispatch
St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Phil Maton claps for the final out of a 5-1 victory over the Minnesota Twins at Busch Stadium on Saturday, March 29, 2025.
Robert Cohen, Post-Dispatch
St. Louis Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol removes pitcher Erick Fedde from the game after he worked six innings against the Minnesota Twins at Busch Stadium on Saturday, March 29, 2025.
Robert Cohen, Post-Dispatch
The outfield gear of St. Louis Cardinals left fielder Lars Nootbaar sits on the bench as the Redbirds hit against the Minnesota Twins at Busch Stadium on Saturday, March 29, 2025.
Robert Cohen, Post-Dispatch
St. Louis Cardinals Lars Nootbaar celebrates a line drive single with first base coach Stubby Clapp to score Alec Burleson and Ivan Herrera in the sixth inning against the Minnesota Twins at Busch Stadium on Saturday, March 29, 2025.
Robert Cohen, Post-Dispatch
St. Louis Cardinals Willson Contreras strikes out to end the sixth inning against the Minnesota Twins at Busch Stadium on Saturday, March 29, 2025.
Robert Cohen, Post-Dispatch
St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Phil Maton and catcher Padro Pages celebrate a 5-1 victory over the Minnesota Twins at Busch Stadium on Saturday, March 29, 2025.
Robert Cohen, Post-Dispatch
St. Louis Cardinals outfielders Lars Nootbaar and Michael Siani celebrate after a 5-1 victory over the Minnesota Twins at Busch Stadium on Saturday, March 29, 2025.
Robert Cohen, Post-Dispatch
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