EL SEGUNDO HERALD August 12, 2021 Page 3
Lars Nootbaar Flying High for St. Louis Cardinals
By Gregg McMullin
El Segundo has had its fair share of professional
athletes attend El Segundo high school
over the years. We’ve had an NHL player, a
couple of NFL players and General Manager,
and a couple of professional basketball
players. But the sport El Segundo is most
famous for is its contribution to baseball at
the professional level. Whether playing in an
Independent League or on a Major League
affiliate roster, our town has sent over 50
players to the professional level.
Eight former Eagles have played or coached
in the Major Leagues, including George Myatt
(player 1938- 1947 and coach 1950-1974),
Kemer Brett (1967-1981), Bobby Floyd (player
1968-1974 and coach 2001-2004), George Brett
(1973-1993), Scott McGregor (1974-1986), Zak
Shinall (1993) and Billy Traber (2003-2009).
You can add Lars Nootbaar to that list now.
The 2015 graduate was selected in the eighth
round of the MLB amateur draft by the St.
Louis Cardinals. His meteoric rise through
the minor league system made him St Louis’
first 2018 drafted player to make an appearance
in a Major League game, and that took
place on June 22.
Nootbaar has always been a gifted baseball
player who has always played the game the
same way. He led his Little League All-Star
team to its best-ever finish and was within
one game of leading that team to the Western
Regional in San Bernardino. He led his Babe
Ruth All-Star team to a third-place finish in
the World Series and won the batting title
as a 14-year-old. And, he was named to the
All-State baseball team as a senior in high
school. Then he played three years at USC,
where he won more accolades.
Nootbaar’s name has been a topic of discussion
from St. Louis fans wanting to get a
glimpse of the young 23 years old and who
turns 24 in September. He was promoted to the
Cardinal’s Triple-A affiliate before the season
after missing out on last season altogether
because of the Covid shutdown. He was one
of a select number of non-roster players who
were invited to spring training with the parent
team. He impressed with his work ethic,
athletic ability, and performance in spring
training games. He was added to the team’s
Alternate Training Site or more commonly
known as the taxi squad, to start the season.
For Lars, this is his third full year of pro
ball, and he says the difference between Aball
and AA-Ball is the talent gets better. He
says he learned a lot his first year when he
was sent to State College, PA, to play in the
New York-Pennsylvania League to play for the
Spikes. His next season, in 2019, he was on
the move playing for the Peoria Chiefs of the
Midwest League, then on to the Palm Beach
Cardinals of the Florida State League. Before
the Palm Beach Cardinals’ season ended,
Lars was promoted to the AA Springfield
Cardinals, where he continued his success as
an outfielder hitting .270.
“When you’re playing baseball or any sport
for that matter, it’s all in how you handle
adversity between the ears,” he says.
Being invited to the Major League spring
training camp was something Lars says, it
was a pleasant surprise after sitting out all of
the 2020 season. “When Covid canceled our
season last year, I got a job that humbled me
and made me miss baseball even more. So, I
worked out when I could so I would be ready
when we’d start up.”
When Lars first walked into the locker room
at the Spring Training facility at Roger Dean
Chevrolet Stadium in Jupiter, Florida, he says
he tried to play down his emotions. “On the
outside, it was like business as usual. Inside I
had some nervousness, but I kept telling myself
I belonged here, and it’s the same game I’ve
always played.” With the iconic Cardinals
logo sprayed across the chest and the number
91 on the back, with his last name above the
digits, the anxieties went away when he saw
his uniform hanging in his locker.
When spring training camp broke, and the
Cardinals were headed to St. Louis, it was
then that Lars was notified he would be one
of three outfielders on the Alternate Site roster.
This roster included 13 pitchers, two catchers,
three infielders, and the outfielders they would
work out in the mornings at an alternate field
site. Lars said that he was fortunate to attend
Opening Day at Busch Stadium and admits
to having some goosebumps. “I’d never been
to an Opening Day, so it was pretty special.
Lars started the season at Memphis, the
Cardinals Triple-A affiliate. Regarded as having
one of the organization’s top outfield arms, Lars
was off to a great start with his bat leading
the team with a .329 batting average. He said
he got a call from his manager Ben Johnson,
informing him he was being promoted to the
Major League team. Then he received a phone
call from Mike Girsch, the General Manager
of the Cardinals, giving Lars the news every
ballplayer dreams of getting.
Lars said, “I was surprised at first, and when
the shock wore off, I had to tell my mom and
dad, but they were celebrating their Thirtieth
Anniversary in Tahiti.” He continued, “The
next person I thought of was my brother, and
we Face-Time the call.” Lars says he had an
emotional exchange with his brother, Nigel.
He said, “Nigel led the way for me to be here.
He was the person I always looked up to; he
was my hero growing up.”
Walking into a Major League locker room
can be a bit intimidating for a young rookie.
Lars said he felt some anxieties but said he’d
already made friends with most of the Major
Leaguers during spring training. “They were all
very nice and made me feel like I belonged,”Lars
said any trepidation quickly went away when
he got to his locker. “I thought that some of
my teammates are future Hall of Famers, and
we all have the same job to do.”
Lars says he’s been asked about the number
68 he was given and said he had nothing to
do about getting that number. He says his
friend, Mike Bundy, wore number 6, and he
wore number 8 in high school, but that’s as
close to any relevance to the number as he
could come up with. “It’s my favorite number
now, though.”
Lars has had plenty of support from the
veterans on the team during Spring Training
and during his call up. “Tommy Edmunds,
Dylan Carlson, Yadi (Molina), Goldie (Paul
Goldschmidt), and Nolan (Arenado) have all
helped me.”
Lars got his first Major League start against
the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park in Detroit.
Though his parents couldn’t get a flight to
Detroit, his brother Nigel and his sister Nicole
and friends, including Lars’ longtime girlfriend
Susana Kalish, Max Mendoza, Jake Palmer,
Toni (Jake’s girlfriend), Linnea Palmer and Ollie
Linton (Lars’ agent) were there to see history.
Before his first at bat, he said he was getting
advice from some of the veterans like
future Hall of Famers Yadier Molina and
Nolan Arenado. The home plate umpire for
the game is another future Hall of Famer, Joe
“Cowboy” West. He has been umpiring for
Lars’ very first hit was this T-Ball single.
Lars with his parents Charlie and Kumi.
See Lars Nootbar, page 10
Sports Shorts
McCaverty Selected to Represent
the Pacific Region for Second Time
Marilyn McCaverty, age 12, was selected
to represent the Pacific Region once again at
the annual 12u USA Softball All-American
Games in Oklahoma City (where the NCAA
Softball World Series is held). Designation
to a USA Softball All-American team is
the highest honor a player can receive and
instantly brands the player as one of the top
athletes in the United States. Over 200 girls
from all over Southern California tried out
for only 15 spots. This will be Marilyn’s
second time participating having also made
the team last year. The event will feature
Twice as nice: Marilyn McCaverty last year and this year.
many of the best female softball athletes
in the 12u division from across the United
States. The tournament also includes a meet
and great with members of Team USA coming
off their silver medal performance at the
2021 Olympic Games in Tokyo. Marilyn is
an alumnus of El Segundo Girls Softball and
currently plays for a highly ranked travel
ball team under the Firecrackers organization
where her team finished in the top 16 at the
Alliance National Fastpitch Championship
Series. The event will be livestreamed at
www.usasoftballallamericangames.com •