Inside The Cardinals

Cardinals Fan-Favorite Has Eye-Popping Numbers Right Now

The Cardinals have gotten off to a great start...
Patrick McAvoy|
Feb 26, 2021; Jupiter, Florida, USA; A general view of the St. Louis Cardinals logo on the stadium at Roger Dean Stadium during spring training workouts. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images
Feb 26, 2021; Jupiter, Florida, USA; A general view of the St. Louis Cardinals logo on the stadium at Roger Dean Stadium during spring training workouts. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images | Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images

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St. Louis Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals are just four games into the new season.

That's not enough to completely say the Cardinals are going to be a playoff team this year and win the World Series, but it is enough to at least have some positive takeaways. There arguably hasn't been a bigger bright spot for the Cardinals right now than outfielder Lars Nootbaar.

The 27-year-old fan-favorite has all of the potential in the world but injuries have slowed him down through his first four seasons with the Cardinals. He's fully healthy right now and has been red-hot to open the season.

Through four games he is slashing .462/.632/.923 with two home runs, five RBIs, five runs scored, and six total base hits. He's also walked five times. Nootbaar has done a little bit of everything in the small sample size. These numbers obviously aren't going to be able to be maintained through the entire season, but he looks great right now.

His advanced metrics are almost better. Right now, he's in the 100th percentile in chase rate, 98th percentile in walk rate, 91st percentile in hard-hit rate, 89th percentile in expected weighted on-base average, 88th percentile in average exit velocity, and 82nd percentile in whiff rate.

His batting average isn't sustainable, but the advanced metrics are. If he can continue this approach at the plate and hit the ball hard, he'll have a great season. Finally, there is some positive buzz with the Cardinals.

More MLB: Cardinals Phenom Has Turned Heads Early For St. Louis

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Patrick McAvoy
PATRICK MCAVOY

Patrick McAvoy's experiences include local and national sports coverage at the New England Sports Network with a focus on baseball and basketball. Outside of journalism, Patrick also is pursuing an MBA at Brandeis University. After quickly rising as one of the most productive writers on the site, he expanded his reach to write for Baseball Essential, a national baseball site in Sports Illustrated Media Group. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding Inside The Cardinals, please reach out to Scott Neville: nevilles@merrimack.edu

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