There is a lot of debate over who could be the Cardinals regular first baseman in the lineup in 2016. The two main candidates are Brandon Moss and Matt Adams. Both men will undoubtedly make their case for the right be the regular first baseman  as the regular season looms closer. It won’t be an easy choice for Mike Matheny to make. It is going to come down to whoever has the best run production and fielding.

Photo by Chris Lee/St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Brandon Moss came over late in the 2015 season from the Cleveland Indians. The Cardinals hoped they could get a power bat and bring over more RBI’s than the 50 he had in Cleveland. He got a total of 19 home runs and 58 RBI’s last season.  It is important to note that most of those came when he was in Cleveland. He has a lot of warning track power but whatever he hits usually finds a glove. Defensively, Moss has not had too many chances to field the ball for the Cards but he’s made the most of the chances he has had. Moss was a part of 18 double plays with the Cards. He did not make any errors in 2015 for the Cards and he has managed to secure outs when possible. Moss did not make a huge impact right away when he got to St. Louis but he’s had his moments. He will be a real clutch player for the Cards down the road if he can get his power bat going and send some baseballs out of the park more often.

On the other hand, Matt Adams has been with the Cards since his rookie year in 2012. Like Moss, he is a power hitter. However, 2015 has seen him lose some of the power he had and he wasn’t able to play for some of the year due to having an injury. Offensively, he only managed 5 home runs and 24 RBI’s.  On the field, Adams made 3 errors. However, he’s also been a part of 30 double plays. Adams wasn’t the best he could be offensively during the games he played. Great offense is key to a team’s success and Matt Adams underwhelmed in 2015. He’s got a lot of proving to do once Spring Training games start.

If I were Matheny, I’d say that unless Matt Adams makes a lasting impression during Spring Training, Brandon Moss gets the starting job. While Moss did not get to do much during the second half of the season with the Cards, he did well when he was in Cleveland while Adams never really found his groove last year and was one of many Cardinals that got injured for a long time.  Moss will be with the Cards from the start this season so he’ll have a bit more of an opportunity to build on the RBI’s and homers he had last year. It will be a hotly contested race between Moss and Adams for the job of regular first baseman at Spring Training but looking at last year going into this year, Moss has too many advantages to ignore.

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