Matt Adams

Adams signed with the Nationals last offseason, after the Braves opted to non-tender him. He took advantage of playing time opened via injuries, playing either first base or left field regularly against right-handed pitching and slashing .275/.351/.575 through June 15. On June 19, Adams was hit by a pitch and was placed on the DL with a broken finger. He returned July 4, but his playing time dwindled with the return of Daniel Murphy then Ryan Zimmerman. On Aug. 21, Adams was dealt to his former club, the Cardinals, in a waiver deal. He struggled with St. Louis down the stretch, posting a .533 OPS. For the season, Adams clubbed a personal-best 21 homers, but a career-worst .245 BABIP spurred his lowest-ever batting average. Adams returned to Washington on a one-year deal and projects to open the season on the bench.

Adams began the 2017 season on the bench for the Cardinals, making just 53 trips to the dish through May 19. But then Freddie Freeman got hurt and the Braves came a-calling. Adams hit .314 with 10 homers in June and remained at first initially upon Freeman's return with Freeman temporarily shifting to the hot corner. It wasn't long before Freeman returned to first, pushing Adams to the outfield for semi-regular at-bats. In mid-August, Adams was primarily used as a pinch-hitter, with occasional starts in the field. Perceived to be a high-strikeout hitter, Adams' career 76 percent contact rate isn't terrible in today's climate, but a six percent walk rate renders him susceptible to slumps. This, along with struggles versus southpaw pitching, expose the left-handed swinger when afforded regular opportunities. He will be the backup at first base in Washington after signing a one-year deal in December.

Adams had a hard time staying healthy in the second half of the season, as he frequently dealt with back soreness and spent time on the DL with an inflamed shoulder. He was limited to 118 games and just 69 starts, all of which came at first base. His production at the plate left much to be desired, and with Matt Carpenter set to take on the starting role at first base in 2017, Adams' outlook for playing time seems bleak. There's always a chance he could be traded, but Adams is unlikely to play against southpaws no matter where he is, as he owns a .212 average and .595 OPS in his career against lefties. Given his growing injury history and declining role, Adams is now more of an NL-only consideration, with any mixed-league relevance holding on by a thread.

Adams entered 2015 with a chance to cement his hold on the starting job at first base for years to come, but only hit .243/.281/.375 before going down with a quad injury that nearly ended his season. Adams managed to return in September and logged 31 at-bats over the season's final month, but still finished the year with a disappointing slash line, hitting just 14 extra-base hits in 175 total at-bats. Adams is still just 27 and the Cardinals haven't brought in a big name to replace him, so there's a possibility he rights the ship in 2016 and delivers the 20-plus home run power and solid secondary numbers that owners were hoping for in 2015. He may, however, lose out on at-bats to Stephen Piscotty, if Piscotty is forced to first base due to a logjam in the outfield, or if manager Mike Matheny decides he has seen enough of Adams struggling against left-handers and implements a strict platoon.

Adams returned solid value to owners that were able to snatch him up in the later rounds of fantasy drafts, posting a .288/.321/.457 line with 34 doubles, 15 home runs and 68 RBI while playing above average defense at first base. When the Cardinals traded Allen Craig to Boston at the deadline it solidified Adams' role as the team's everyday first baaseman. It's somewhat discouraging that he hit just .239/.308/.356 in 180 at-bats over the final two months of this season, dropping his average from .314 to .288 but his role is much clearer heading into 2015 than it was a year ago. It's likely that he could very easily be a top-12 first baseman in 2015 if he can stay healthy and develop a little more power, particularly if some of those doubles and triples (he had an unlikely five in 2014) clear the outfield wall for home runs.

Adams had a very good 2013 in limited playing time, slamming 17 home runs and 14 doubles in just 319 plate appearances. His BABIP (.337) was somewhat high, meaning his .284 average could fall with a larger sample size, but Adams still makes plenty of hard contact, as evidenced by his .220 ISO. The power is here for Adams to be a 30-homer bat, but it might not happen in 2014, as his HR/FB (21.8%) may not be completely sustainable. That being said, it appears Allen Craig will play primarily in right field this season following the departure of Carlos Beltran, which should result in a significant increase in opportunities for Adams compared to last season. As the Cardinals' primary first baseman, Adams will have a good chance to crack the 500 at-bat plateau.

The various injuries suffered by Lance Berkman gave Adams a one-month opportunity to show he belonged in the majors. Results were mixed, as he started out strong (hitting .296 in his first 16 games) before the league caught up with him. At least 13 RBI in a 27-game stint was helpful. Adams tore up the minors since Day 1, hitting .318 with 82 home runs in 1,430 at-bats in his four-year career. Unfortunately, he can't really play anywhere besides first base. While that's not as big of an issue with Albert Pujols and Lance Berkman gone, the Cardinals could opt to give the job to Allen Craig or sign a big-name veteran in the offseason. Adams will probably have to wait his turn again.

Adams was pretty good in 2010, but he broke out in a big way playing for Double-A Springfield last year, belting 32 home runs and driving in 101 runs. He doesn't possess much speed, but if he can go 30-100-.300 every year, he won't have to. With Albert Pujols now in Anaheim, we could see Adams manning first base in St. Louis as early as this summer. Now 23, he'll likely head to Triple-A to begin the season while Lance Berkman takes on the everyday job in Pujols' absence.