Injuries were a problem again for Nootbaar in 2024, as he was limited to just 109 games because of a fractured rib and strained oblique. He's now made five trips to the injured list since the beginning of the 2023 campaign. Nootbaar also saw his ground ball rate rise again in 2024 to a career-high 51.7 percent. Those are the main two factors as to why he's never hit more than 14 home runs in a season even as his quality of contact (49.5 percent hard-hit rate, 9.9 percent barrel rate in 2024) point to a guy who should be a 20-plus homer guy. That said, between the batted-ball data and elite walk rate, Nootbaar still brings interesting skills to the table if he can ever put together a full, healthy season. Read Past Outlooks