Lars Nootbaar of the St. Louis Cardinals poses during Photo Day on Wednesday, February 24, 2021. (Photo by Mary DeCicco/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

About Lars Taylor Tatsuji Nootbaar
Known AsLars Nootbaar
Age26 Years
BirthSeptember 8, 1997 El Segundo, California
GenderMale
SiblingsNigel Nootbaar, Nicole Nootbaar
ParentsCharlie Nootbaar, Kumi Enokida Nootbaar
AlumniUSC, El Segundo High School
EthnicityDutch-Japanese
Great-grandfatherHerbert V. Nootbaar
In relationshipSusana Kalish

The St. Louis Cardinals have called up Lars Nootbaar to the roster after selecting the left-handed hitting outfielder in the 2018 MLB Draft. For Lars Nootbaar’s family, it was not a new experience, though thrilling nonetheless. The young rookie has gained attention for his spectacular skills on the diamond, his mixed heritage, his family legacy in USC baseball, and his personal life. For the Cardinals community on social media, we reveal more about who the baseball player’s family and girlfriend are in this Lars Nootbaar wiki.

Lars Nootbaar’s Parents

Lars Taylor Tatsuji Nootbaar was born on September 8, 1997, and hails from El Segundo, California. He is the youngest of three kids born to Charlie Nootbaar and Kumi Enokida Nootbaar.

Nigel, Nicole, and Lars’ father, Charlie, is Dutch, while their mother, Kumi, is Japanese, making the siblings of Dutch-Japanese heritage. Charlie Nootbaar and Kumi Enokida met at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, where Charlie had a minor in Japanese and Kumi was a foreign exchange student.

After Kumi returned to her home country, Charlie embarked on his own exchange program in Japan. But his plans went off-kilter when his host family dropped out at the last minute. Unfazed, Charlie called the only person he knew in Japan, who was Kumi, and they “rekindled” things where they left off.

While they grew up in California, Lars and his siblings have shown their deep connections to their parents’ cultures. The family even traced down their ancestral name, discovering that Charlie’s family had German roots before the Nootbaars made it to the U.S.

Lars Nootbaar’s Siblings

Lars was raised alongside his older brother, Nigel, and older sister, Nicole. Nigel was born in Tokyo, Japan in 1993.

The siblings grew up as rivals in sports encouraged by their parents. Their household was described as very “competitive.”

Nigel Nootbaar also played baseball at USC, and then signed with the Baltimore Orioles in June 2014. He was a pitcher in Orioles-affiliated minor league clubs until 2017, while also moonlighting as an instructor for a baseball academy. Currently, he works for a commercial insurance company.

Lars would also play for the USC Trojans. The school is special to the family as not only did Nigel and Lars attend, but also their grandparents before them. USC has also named their baseball office and hall of fame building after their great-grandfather, Herbert V. Nootbaar, who was a baseball player, too.

Lars was a football and baseball player, but initially didn’t want to pursue collegiate baseball like Nigel. The high school quarterback, however, didn’t get a worthwhile football scholarship offer, which led to him picking baseball and the college his brother was in.

 

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“Having a brother that went there, I feel like I knew the ins and outs a little bit,” Lars said. “Just being able to ask him any questions was a huge advantage for me.”

Nigel and Lars’ sister, Nicole Nootbaar, is an athletic trainer. Currently, she is the assistant athletic trainer at UC Davis.

Lars Nootbaar’s Girlfriend

Lars Nootbaar has been in a relationship with Susana Kalish, also an alum of El Segundo High School. On his personal Facebook page, Lars quips that they have been married since January 28, 2012 and January 29, 2012. With both having been born in the late ’90s, we’re sure they were much too young for nuptials back then.

Kalish earned her BS in neurobiology, physiology and behavior from UC Davis in 2020. She is working on a pre-physician assistant certification at the Keck Graduate Institute.