According to an article published by St. Louis Post-Dispatch writer, Derrick Goold, Matt Carpenter is moving to first base full-time for the St. Louis Cardinals in 2017. Goold reports that general manager John Mozeliak made the move official at the first day of general manager meetings in Phoenix, on Tuesday. Mozeliak commented that the move is being made in an effort to provide more stability for his team’s infielders.
Last year, the Cardinals’ infield was a rotation of different faces in different places. First base was no exception. Over the course of the 162-game regular season, the Cardinals featured six different players (Adams, Moss, Carpenter, Gyorko, Holliday, Molina) making at least one start at the position. Carpenter figures to help alleviate some of the constant maneuvering among the four infield positions with a new, solidified role.
Carpenter started 35 games at first base last year, and appeared at the position in a total of 45 games. In his time at first, Carpenter made just one error. He posted a .997 fielding percentage, and also displayed the best Rtot (Total Zone) among Cardinals at the position at 3.0.
After the Cardinals did not extend a qualifying offer to Brandon Moss, the team is now left with Carpenter and Matt Adams as the only primary first baseman on the roster. The commitment to Carpenter at first adds more intrigue to what has already been a busy offseason for the team. Adams would seem to be a nice complementary piece in a possible offseason trade, and the Cardinals may have already laid the groundwork for a potential deal after they picked up Jaime Garcia’s $12 million option for next year. Both offer enough upside to potential trade partners, and Adams especially adds value to an American League team looking for a DH or a left-handed bat off the bench.
All stats are according to www.baseball-reference.com
