I Am Noot

Lars Nootbaar (STL): 2-5, 2B, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI.

After the 2023 season, Lars Nootbaar was a popular breakout pick as he came into 2024 healthy and primed to finally put it all together. Unfortunately, Nootbaar continued to struggle with injuries and has seen his production dip slightly from last season. There is room for optimism going into next season, however, as Nootbaar has slowly improved as the year went on.

	PAs	HRs	SBs	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	wRC+	Process+
First Half	193	6	3	.229	.318	.394	.712	101	122
Second Half	198	5	4	.265	.369	.428	.796	125	114
September (so far)	74	3	2	.316	.446	.561	1.007	179	118

There’s an obvious danger in simply extrapolating these numbers and leaning too heavily on recency bias here, but it certainly is encouraging to see signs of life from Nootbaar here. Last night’s home run was a 105.7 mph blast and he followed it up with a 100.8 mph double later in the game.

The Cardinals currently have a logjam of middling, lefty outfielders and are in serious need of some defensive upgrades so whether Noot stays or goes in the offseason, an increase in playing time and more run support could be on the horizon.

 

Let’s see how the other hitters did Thursday:

Aaron Judge (NYY): 1-2, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2 BB.

Aaron Judge hit his 58th home run of the season last night. The list of players with multiple 58+ HR seasons: Mark McGwire (3), Sammy Sosa (3), Babe Ruth (2), Aaron Judge (2).

There will be plenty more to say about Judge before the 2024 season comes to a close but it’s hard not to mention such a career milestone.

 

Charlie Blackmon (COL): 1-3, HR, 3 R, 3 RBI, BB.

Charlie Blackmon announced his retirement on Monday and has been ending his career on a hot streak. Over the last week, Blackmon has three home runs and a .381/.481/1.000/1.481 slash line. His home run last night was a 101.3 mph, no-doubter that would’ve gone yard in any ballpark.

While he may not be a future Hall of Famer, Blackmon has had a more than respectable career and deserves a tip of the ballcap.

 

Joey Ortiz (MIL): 3-3, 2B, 3B, R, RBI, SB.

On the other end of the spectrum, we have a rookie whose career is just getting started. Ortiz will be an afterthought in the NL Rookie of the Year conversation due to the Jacksons and some strong rookie pitching but has started to show why he was the headliner of the Corbin Burnes trade. While he struggled after first returning from a neck injury earlier this summer, Ortiz has righted the ship with two HRs, three SBs, and a .267 AVG since the start of September.

Last night marked his 10th stolen base of the season but with a 28.7 ft/s Sprint Speed (85th percentile), there is still plenty of room to grow here. The future is bright in Milwaukee.

 

Otto Lopez (MIA): 2-6, 2B, 2 R, RBI, SB.

Otto Lopez appears to be cementing his hold on the keystone in Miami. Lopez nabbed his 20th stolen base of the season and 12th since August 1st. While he only has three homers in that span, contact is his calling card, not power, with a .307/.361/.438 triple slash showing his true potential. Lopez has also been flashing an elite glove and should be in the running for a Gold Glove in his rookie campaign.

 

Xavier Edwards (MIA): 2-4, 2B, 3 R, RBI, 3 BB, SB.

I gave a shoutout to Xavier Edwards in my first Batter’s Box earlier this year and only days later he hit for the cycle. Since writing that Batter’s Box, Edwards has 27 SBs (second only to Shohei Ohtani’s historic season) and a .302/.366/.380 triple slash.

Hopefully, you picked him up when I first recommended him but if not, the Marlins have a fun, young middle infield duo here that should be on your radar when draft season rolls around in the spring.

 

Carlos Correa (MIN): 3-4, HR, R, RBI.

Carlos Correa was absolutely mashing against Marlins starter Valente Bellozo last night, opening the game with a pair of blistering singles that clocked in at 110.8 and 104.6 mph before barreling a 108.1 mph, 427-foot homer that finally put the Twins on the board in the sixth. It was Correa’s first home run since July 10th as he went on the IL two days later with plantar fasciitis.

The Twins will certainly need Correa to keep swinging a hot bat if they have any hope of catching the Tigers for a postseason berth.

 

Colt Keith (DET): 2-4, 3B, R, 2 RBI.

The Detroit Tigers are one of the most fun stories in baseball right now, depending on who you cheer for (sorry Twins fans!), and it was Colt Keith’s turn to play hero ball last night. His pair of RBI played a key part in a must-win game for the Tigers. Keith showed off his upside to get the Tigers on the board with a 103.9 mph triple which also recorded a bat speed of 77.1 mph.

The key to Keith’s success next year appears to be in elevating the ball as his 11.0° launch angle and 44.7% groundball rate this season are certainly bringing down his ceiling (pun intended).

 

Jasson Domínguez (NYY): 0-2, R, BB, SB.

The Yankees’ top prospect continued his up-and-down cup of coffee last night. Domínguez’s batting average fell below the Mendoza line to .191 while also picking up his fifth big league stolen base.

Yankees fans looking for signs of optimism (beyond clinching a division title last night), should have faith in his prospect pedigree combined with his rising Decision Value. All the usual small sample size caveats apply here but in cases like this, this is what you’d want to see from a prospect like Domínguez.

 

Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire | Adapted by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns on Twitter/X)