3 bold player predictions for the St. Louis Cardinals 2022 postseason run
By Kevin Henry
What lies ahead for the St. Louis Cardinals as they prepare to kick off the 2022 MLB postseason with a matchup against the Philadelphia Phillies?
As winners of the National League Central, the St. Louis Cardinals will begin the postseason by hosting the Phillies in a best-of-three Wild Card matchup beginning on Friday. The Cardinals were 3-4 against the Phillies this season, dropping two of three games in Philadelphia in early July before splitting a four-game series with them at Busch Stadium one week later.
3. Lars Nootbaar will make an impact for the St. Louis Cardinals
It’s been a strange season for the 25-year-old Nootbaar, a player who wasn’t on the radar of many people coming out of spring training as someone who could make a big difference for the Cardinals. However, with the St. Louis outfield morphing as Harrison Bader was traded away and Tyler O’Neill has been injured and is questionable at best for the Wild Card round, Nootbaar has taken advantage of his opportunities.
In 11 plate appearances against the Phillies this season, Nootbaar is slashing .300/.364/.700 with a home run and three RBI. In 17 plate appearances against Atlanta in 2022, that slash line is .267/.353/.533 with an RBI.
Nootbaar has had success against the teams that the Cardinals will face in the first two rounds (if St. Louis gets past the Wild Card round, of course). While he has struggled in recent games (hitting just .192 over his last seven games), Nootbaar will be a key piece of a new-look Cardinals outfield in the postseason … and will deliver when his time at the plate comes.