While the St. Louis Cardinals have received some reinforcements at spring camp, there are still several players that are away from the team and competing in the World Baseball Classic.
Shortstop Tommy Edman is one of the aforementioned reinforcements after Team Korea failed to reach the quarterfinals.
Back at Cardinals camp, Edman talked about his WBC experience and what it meant to him.
But one thing he can’t ignore is the global phenomenon that his teammate Lars Nootbaar has become.
The young outfielder is still competing with Team Japan.
Edman was asked about Nootbaar and offered some praise for his friend, noticing that he seemed to be having a great time in Japan.
SS Tommy Edman on “Nootbaar Mania” after seeing his #STLCards teammate Lars Nootbaar in Japan: “He's a national hero. It's cool to see the nation of Japan embrace him like that. I know he's having the time of his life and he just seemed really happy.”https://t.co/Nlg9cAnwDM
— John Denton (@JohnDenton555) March 17, 2023
A “good time” would be the understatement of the century.
Nootbaar is quickly becoming a hero with his infectious and boisterous personality capturing the hearts of so many around the baseball world, from St. Louis and all the way to Japan.
His “grind the pepper” celebration certainly isn’t getting old.
Even stars such as Shohei Ohtani have caught on and are enjoying it.
Not only that, but Nootbaar has become somewhat of a motivational speaker for Team Japan, embracing a leadership role and delivering hype speeches before every game, reminding his teammates to stay loose and have fun.
Edman is certainly used to Nootbaar’s fun-loving nature and is clearly happy to see his teammate putting his skills to some good use while in Japan.
Japan is still undefeated in WBC play and will match up with either Puerto Rico or Mexico in the semifinals.
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