DETROIT — Lars Nootbaar, the Cardinals’ new lefthanded-hitting outfielder who made his major league debut on Tuesday night, is a candy bar waiting to happen, of course, if he does anything at all in the majors.
“That’s what we’re working on,” he said, jokingly.
But he is not as European, or Dutch, in this instance, as his name would suggest. His middle name is Taylor-Tatsuji, the second part in honor of his mother, Kumi, who is full-blooded Japanese.
Here’s the story, as related by the 23-year-old Nootbaar, outside the Cardinals’ dugout before Tuesday's game:
“The Nootbaar thing kind of throws everybody for a loop,” said the 6-foot-3, 210-pounder, “but the majority of my ethnicity comes from my mom’s side.