Ranking Ian Happ's place among the National League Central left fielders

Is Ian Happ primed for a career season with Kyle Tucker hitting behind him?

Cincinnati Reds v Chicago Cubs
Cincinnati Reds v Chicago Cubs | Michael Reaves/GettyImages
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4. Lars Nootbar, Cardinals

Gosh, here we go again. Evaluating Nootbar is tough because he hasn't pieced together a full season yet, but he's another player in the Happ and Reynolds archetype- solid, not spectacular slugging, great on-base skills, and above-average value on the basepaths. Nootbar's a definite plus on defense compared to Reynolds. Nootbar is a very sneaky good player- he notably increased his bat speed after spending the 2021 winter with Driveline. It will be an interesting 2025 for him as he moves into the middle of a watered-down Cardinals lineup. Fangraphs projects him to be one of the better left fielders in the game- if he can stay healthy, he'll push and put up extremely similar numbers to Happ and Reynolds.

5. Spencer Steer, Reds

Steer kind of came out of nowhere in 2022 in the minors, rocketing up to top 100 prospect status after being buried in the Twins system prior. He got dealt at the trade deadline that year to the Reds and exploded to a .820 OPS in 2023 while playing a full season. The results took a huge step back (to the tune of 100 points of OPS) last year, and Steer was a below-average player. The BABIP decreased quite a bit to a more sustainable level and the ISO also went down. The Oregon Duck alumnus really struggles in the field as well- it's difficult to see him finding enough ways to add value to consistently be more than a league-average player.

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