You may or may not know my feelings towards Matt Adams. I’ve been fairly vocal about said feelings and at 140 characters a tweet, it may seem as though I’m not fond of him. To be clear, I’ve heard great stories about Adams meeting with fans…kids I know love the guy. He seems nice. I do commend him, not sarcastically, for getting in shape every off season. Being in shape isn’t easy for everyone, so I don’t make fun of anyone for those efforts. My sentiments towards Adams have always been based on assessments made by watching him for the past several years, reading his stats and knowing the situation that surrounds him. Adams hasn’t had the fairest shake in St. Louis. He’s had injuries. He’s had competition. He’s been managed by Matheny. Mismanaged is more appropriate.
As it sits this season, Matt Carpenter is our left hand hitting every day first baseman. Matt Carpenter has at times been the MVP of our team. He has a high OBP, he hits any pitcher right or left handed and he has versatility with his positions. This off season, he was called and given first base. In all honesty, I feel for Matt Adams. Matheny had him like a puppet on a string, interchanging him with all kinds of competition at first base in 2016. That’s no way to gain footing and prove yourself. Before that, beyond injury, I don’t know the myriad of excuses for Matt Adams never seeming to grab hold of the first base job with an iron clad fist. It always seems like it’s not actually his position. Even when it was his position. That isn’t fair to him. I do genuinely feel for him.
However, facts as they are, we have a first baseman and his name is not Matt Adams. We have a great backup first baseman and his name is Matt Adams. He is very solid defensively at 1B and against right hand pitchers, he can pack a wallop. Matt Adams as a Cardinal is an excellent guy to have on the bench. The flip side to that has always been, for me, is he content with that? He isn’t even 30 years old yet and he is facing fairly significant time on the bench for at least a second consecutive season. I don’t honestly know if this makes him happy. He did get a raise, so that may help to cushion any negative feelings. A little anyways. But just think if he was able to be someone’s every day first baseman. He’d make more. And he’d playing every day. His off season get in shape news probably wouldn’t be necessary because he’d have a regular job and more play would keep him in better shape (in theory). I’m not against Matt Adams…I honestly feel for the guy.
However, I don’t feel for him enough to be our left fielder. First base is not left field, running down into a corner and then launching a ball back into the infield. This is an entirely new position for him and he has 2 weeks in spring training left to practice at it, somehow proving versatility. Wong in left field gave him a sore shoulder for a further 5 plus months after he fell on wet grass. It was the crazy idea heard around the nation. Mocked nationally. Again, decision making by Matheny is to blame, not Wong. Putting Adams in left field is Matheny’s machination in order to be able to play him more. If he gets injured, we lose our best back up first baseman (not saying it will, but it has and we shouldn’t pretend it hasn’t). More importantly, Adams loses more time. The guy needs more time. I get that. It’s not lost on me. I’ve said as much throughout this blurb.
The solution for Matt Adams is to be on a team where he can play first base more routinely, preferably every day. I don’t know if we’ll figure that solution out in 2017. The solution is not left field though. He’s got hurdles to climb in left field too. It’s not granting him more playing time. He still has to fight to play there too. This isn’t a solution to his playing time problem. Does it potentially give him another position to play? Sure. Won’t be his though. And no one with the talent and skill he does have should have to spend their careers waiting for injuries to happen. That’s a wrap for my Matt Adams spiel.
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