A Terrible Streak for Lars Nootbaar: Can the St. Louis Cardinals' Star Find His Stride Again?
Unwavering backers of Lars Nootbaar find it hard to justify his performance as a Cardinals outfielder.
Lars Nootbaar has become a pint-sized storm cloud hovering over the St. Louis Cardinals. His recent performance at the plate has been nothing short of dismal — and it's a far cry from the positive energy he usually brings to the team.
In the past seven games, Nootbaar's batting average has plummeted to a paltry .037, with an on-base percentage of .097 and a slugging percentage of .034. This is definitely not what the Cardinals want from their leadoff hitter. Take the June 11 game at home against the Toronto Blue Jays for example, where Nootbaar was goose-egged, striking out four times. It gets worse — he repeated that performance yet again last night, including leaving the game-tying run on base in the final out. Fans' calls for a change in Nootbaar's role on the team grow louder by the day.
Justifying the Call to Sit a While
At this point, some might argue that Nootbaar needs a break. After all, he's batting an abysmal .226/.330/.362 for the season. Despite tying for third in home runs for the team with eight, his last home run dates back to May 27 against the Baltimore Orioles.
Granted, Nootbaar and the Cardinals don't have the luxury to let him take a breather right now. With Brendan Donovan on the injured list due to a toe ailment and Jordan Walker also out, Alec Burleson and Victor Scott II have picked up most of the slack. However, Scott's performance hasn't been much better, making things even harder on the Cardinals.
Michael Siani was recently brought back from the minors after a less-than-stellar call-up by Ryan Vilade, who was designated for assignment. At least Vilade's presence offered a brief respite for Nootbaar. Unfortunately, that moment of relief wasn't worth it if it came at the cost of Siani's underwhelming performance.
As it stands, Nootbaar must work things out on the fly, with Hitting Coach Brant Brown hopefully helping him to resolve the issues plaguing his offensive performance. Brown has been putting in a lot of time with the team, trying to improve everyone's hitting abilities. It remains to be seen if those efforts will help Nootbaar break out of this terrible slump.
Fading Cheers and Enveloping Boos
The once electrifying chants of "NOOT!" that cheered Nootbaar on have been replaced by murmurs of doubt and concern. Fans are unsure if the current wave of boos is correct, or if he's simply taking part in the team's struggles this season. Either way, they are certainly feeling less enthusiastic when Nootbaar steps up to the plate.
It's a trying time for Nootbaar, who began the season on a high note, earning leadoff at-bats that captivated fans. But now, with such a dramatic decline, there's a growing sense of anticipation to see how he'll turn things around for both himself and the team. Embarking on his comeback as the leadoff batter the Cardinals need will be a fascinating journey to watch unfold.
- Despite the struggles of Lars Nootbaar, it might be worth considering a temporary break from baseball for him, given his dismal performance in recent MLB games.
- As the St. Louis Cardinals seek improvement from their leadoff hitter, one can only wonder if Nootbaar will find his stride again and silence the mounting boos from disheartened fans, reminiscent of the electrifying cheers that once echoed in the stadium.
