St. Louis Cardinals: A First Base Battle

The St. Louis Cardinals have a big question mark at first base, where will the answer come from?

It’s nearly February, which means it’s nearly Spring, which means it’s nearly Baseball. If you’re anything like me, that thought alone brings a smile to your face. Unfortunately, it isn’t February, and it isn’t Spring, which means it isn’t Baseball. So, for now, we’ll have to continue to settle for talking about baseball, which is a lot less fun, but will have to do.

Today, we’re going to pass the time by pondering the St. Louis Cardinals’ first base situation — which is equal parts intriguing and uninspiring. As I see it, there are three options:

1. Matt Adams is our starting first baseman and plays the bulk of the time at first.
2. Brandon Moss is our starting first baseman and plays the bulk of the time at first.
3. The baseball gods smile upon us and offer an alternative option via a last minute trade, signing, or surprise prospect.

Just so that we’re on the same page, that third option is so unlikely it’s barely worth discussing, but since there isn’t any real baseball, I figure we might as well kill our time with that. The other two choices are far more likely and far less exciting, so we’ll weigh them first.

Before we begin, let’s look at some expectations. According to Fangraphs, first baseman across the league hit a collective .259/.336/.444 in 2015, good for a 113 wRC+. And no one cares about the glove because no one looks for first baseman with good gloves. Sure, you like it when you find one who has a good glove, but that’s a bonus, not a requirement. So in evaluating our options, we’re looking for a pretty big bat and nothing else. Let’s get started!