🔥 Trending Lars Nootbaar: Baseball Player Profile and Career

Lars Taylor-Tatsuji Nootbaar is an American professional baseball outfielder currently playing for the Arizona Diamondbacks in Major League Baseball (MLB) ¹. He previously played for the St. Louis Cardinals ¹.

Early Life and Heritage

Born on September 8, 1997, in El Segundo, California, Lars Nootbaar is the youngest of three children ²³. His father, Charlie Nootbaar, is of Dutch descent, while his mother, Kumi Enokida Nootbaar, is Japanese ³. This makes Lars, along with his siblings Nigel and Nicole, of Dutch-Japanese heritage ³. His mother, Kumi, has shared that Lars once proclaimed, "My name is Lars Nootbaar. I’m Japanese," at the age of 10 ⁵.

Collegiate Career

Nootbaar attended the University of Southern California (USC), where he played college baseball ². The new baseball offices at USC are named after his great-grandfather, Herbert Nootbaar, who contributed to the university ⁷.

Professional Baseball Career

Draft and Debut

Lars Nootbaar was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 8th round of the 2018 MLB draft, as the 243rd overall pick ². He made his MLB debut on June 22, 2021 ².

MLB Teams

• St. Louis Cardinals: Nootbaar began his MLB career with the Cardinals ¹.
• Arizona Diamondbacks: He later joined the Arizona Diamondbacks as an outfielder ¹.

Playing Style

Nootbaar is known for his offensive capabilities and has been noted for developing a "new swing mentality" ⁸.

International Recognition

Lars Nootbaar gained significant international attention when he was selected to represent Japan's national team in the World Baseball Classic (WBC) ⁵. His mother, Kumi, noted that his personality is "100-percent-likable" ⁵.