What Ethnicity Is Lars Nootbaar?

Nootbaar has a multi-ethnic background, as he belongs to the Dutch-Japanese ethnicity. His parents come from different ethnic backgrounds; his father is Dutch, while his mother is Japanese. 

Lars’s parents met when they were college students at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo; his mother was a foreign exchange student. Later she moved back to Japan, and his father also traveled to Japan to continue his studies.

When he reached Japan, the host family dropped out at the last moment. He called the only person he knew in Japan his now wife. Due to the situation, they re-united and are still together to date.

Lars believes that most of his ethnicity comes from his mother’s side; he has added Tatsuji in his middle name for his mother. 

Lars Nootbaar Nationality and Background

Nootbaar belongs to the American nationality. He was born on September 8, 1997, to his father, Charlie Nootbaar, and his mother, Kumi Enokida. Lars spent his childhood in El Segundo, California. 

He grew up playing with his two siblings, brother Nigel and sister Nicole Nootbar. His brother played for USC as a pitcher and professionally in the Baltimore Orioles system. 

He completed his high school education at El Segundo High School; when he went to college, he committed to play college baseball at the University of Southern California (USC).

At USC, he played three seasons for the Trojans, and he was named to the All Pac-12 team as a sophomore. In 2019, he played three levels of minor leagues. In all three levels, he hit a solid .264 with a .349 on-base percentage. 

In 2021 he started in Triple-A highest minor league in baseball; his .308 average impressed the coaching staff of Cardinal’s. 

Lars got selected for the 40-man roster and got promoted to the major leagues for the first time on June, 2021. During his promotion, he was hitting .329/.430/.557 with five home runs and 17 RBIs over 22 games.