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JUPITER, Fla. — Lars Nootbaar will take center stage this season, perhaps in more ways than one. He’s already become a widely recognized figure thanks to a combination of a statistical profile that makes him a potential unicorn in the Cardinals’ lineup coupled with an outgoing personality, personable nature and an international following that blossomed because of his Japanese heritage and participation in the World Baseball Classic.

This year, he also might get a large chunk of his playing time in center field while batting near the center of the Cardinals batting order.

At the risk of seeming overly optimistic, my crystal ball does tell me this will be the summer of Lars.

While the Cardinals also will count on youngsters Jordan Walker and Nolan Gorman to power their offense, Nootbaar will be critical. Not only is he the most experienced player of that trio, but his knack for drawing walks makes him an on-base threat (career .348 on-base percentage).

This season, there’s the added pressure of expectation as one of the primary offensive producers after Paul Goldschmidt’s departure via free agency.

The offseason also provided plenty of noise. There’s the seemingly never-ending trade speculation surrounding Nootbaar’s closest friend on the club — Nolan Arenado. Add in the looming specter of this being a make-or-break season for Nootbaar to prove he’s the player the Cardinals have hoped for and projected him to be for the past three or four years.

“For me, I’ve been hindered with some injury the past couple years,� Nootbaar said of his approach to this spring. “Making sure I’m going into the season healthy and in-stride and playing all of the games they want me to play, that’s been the main focus for me.�

Oh yeah, and Nootbaar is coming off another season marked my injury and him not getting into a consistently productive rhythm. Since the start of the 2023 season, he’s had five stints on the injured list that have limited him to playing in 226 of 324 possible games.

There’s a lot of stuff, and stuff can leave a player unsettled, anxious, unsteady.

So where’s my optimism coming from?

Well, somehow Nootbaar seems to have let that all roll off him. If his confident and untroubled demeanor truly reflects how he feels and how he’s approaching this season, then there’s reason for optimism that this year could be the Nootbaar coming out party.

“He’s not worried, and that’s a good thing for Lars,� Cardinals manager Oli Marmol said. “He’s coming in and just getting after it and getting his work done without worrying about what’s next. He’s going to benefit from having that approach. He has benefited from that approach.

“Then, defensively, he’s just getting after it. Him and (Jon) Jay are working really hard — I can say that about all the outfielders — and making sure they’re hitting on low-hanging fruit for them. Beyond that, diving into some of the nitty gritty of the game. I’ve been pleased with his work, but more than anything, his mentality.�

If the Cardinals play Nootbaar in center field, they’re clearly banking on his offense outweighing what they’ll give up defensively without either Victor Scott II or Michael Siani in center. Nootbaar trades off between offense and defense certainly.

Nootbaar, 27, has made it a point to use the hiccups of the past as a learning tool. He’s coming off of what he described as an “efficient� offseason.

Unlike past winters when he chased different training programs and tried various methods of preparing for the season and found himself doing things just for the sake of doing them, he streamlined things this winter.

He picked and chose elements of past programs to stick with, and he’s paying closer attention to recovery and keeping his body fresh.

“I would just say more efficient, a more efficient offseason,� Nootbaar said. “The more you get into it, the more confident you get, the more understanding you have of yourself and what happens throughout a year. I would just say, having that in mind — that really benefited me greatly.�

The left-handed hitting Nootbaar, a 6-foot-3, 205-pound Southern California native, really seems to have quickly found a comfort zone with new hitting coach Brant Brown. They are “on the same page for a lot of things.�

In my mind, a full healthy season of optimal Nootbaar production lands somewhere between New York Mets outfielder Brandon Nimmo and former Houston Astros star Kyle Tucker (both left-handed hitters). Nimmo’s career slash line is .261/.371/.438 and he averages 20 home runs per 162 games. Tucker has slashed .274/.353/.516 and his 162-game homer average is 32.

Spring training at-bats don’t necessarily tell a complete story, but the Cardinals would sign up for the type of at-bats Nootbaar has put together so far this spring. He has drawn a team-high 10 walks in 14 games, and he also slashed .290/.452/.484 with a double, a triple, a home run and seven RBIs.

Brown can go down rabbit holes with Nootbaar on swing path or body movement, and they are in sync with the drills and work Nootbaar does on a daily basis to address specific concerns.

“When I come to him with some things, he makes sure that I’m in a good place,� Nootbaar said. “He’s got a lot of answers. There’s not a lot of ego with him, too. When you come with some things or some concerns, he either has the answer for you or he’s going to search for you. That’s something that I love about him.�

Now, if Nootbaar can just stay on the field.