The story of Lars Nootbaar continues to develop.
The St. Louis Cardinals and their fans love the young outfielder for his infectious energy and how he can keep the clubhouse loose.
Fans always serenade him with chants of his name when he makes a catch, comes to the plate, or delivers in the clutch.
He is also famous for his “grind the pepper celebration,” which has spread from St. Louis all the way to Japan.
The 25-year-old is representing Team Japan in this year’s World Baseball Classic.
The players in Japan already love him, so much so that Team Japan’s manager asked him to deliver the pregame speech on Friday.
Ben Verlander tweeted a video of the moment when Nootbaar delivered the speech.
This is incredible.
Lars Nootbaar giving the pregame speech for Team Japan today is everything.
— Ben Verlander (@BenVerlander) March 10, 2023
He may not be a superstar, but Nootbaar is a talented ballplayer that has a ton of energy and potential, which is something that his teammates absolutely love.
Now, it’s gotten to the point where he is being trusted to act as a leader and give the team a hype speech before games.
The Cardinals can certainly attest to that and may take notice of Japan’s manager letting him make the speech.
Nootbaar’s fun-loving personality has earned him respect from some of the Cardinals key veterans, such as Adam Wainwright, Miles Mikolas, Paul Goldschmidt, and Nolan Arenado.
Clearly, the same thing is taking place in Japan during the WBC.
The team will certainly lean on the young outfielder to bring some energy to games and to get them going.
NEXT: Mark DeRosa Discusses Adam Wainwright's Impact On Team USA