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Cardinals positional outlook: First Base

Even though Matt Carpenter has been solid for many years and will continue to start in 2018, the Cardinals have some long-term questions at First Base
St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Matt Carpenter (13) celebrates with Harrison Bader after they both scored on a triple by Tommy Pham during the second inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

By Aaron Schonfeld, from Cardsblog.com

Today, for our second installment of the Cardinals Positional Outlook series, we will take a look at First Base. Yesterday, Tyler Brandt kicked off the series with an article about the Cardinals situation at Catcher. You can check out his article below.

Cardinals Positional Outlook: Catcher - Cardsblog

This is the first piece in a series in which we look at the state of the Cardinals organization at each position. We will be giving an analysis of the current roster, the short-term expectation, and the long-term expectation. We begin our positional outlook series with the catcher position.

Ever since Albert Pujols left in 2011 the Cardinals have not had a permanent player to man first base. Pujols was a god in a Cardinals uniform, and the Cardinals have never had a first baseman who has had the same impact on and off the field. This is an issue largely because usually, first base is the position of one of the highest offensive producers on a team.

This Year's Outlook

This year first base will be manned by fan-favorite slugger Matt Carpenter. He is a former all-star who has been known for always getting on base over the past couple of years.

Over his career, Carpenter has had a .277 Batting Average and a .377 On Base Percentage. He has the potential of hitting twenty home runs a season and driving in a lot of runs. He has an impressive history with the Cardinals.

During his career, Carpenter has played many different positions: especially first, second and third base. He is currently finishing his transition to becoming an everyday first baseman. His versatility is important because he is willing to play wherever he is needed, so he could potentially be moved to another position if the Cardinals find another first baseman

He has been the Cardinals leadoff hitter for a couple of years now, but Matheney has come out and said that he wants to move Carpenter down in the order to the three spot this season. The Cardinals have experimented in moving him down in the order in the past, but it has not always worked.

This season is a good opportunity for the Cardinals to try and maximize Carpenter's run-producing abilities, especially because the Cardinals were able to get another run producer in Marcell Ozuna.

Another option for this season is utility man Jose Martinez. He had a very successful first full year as a Cardinal last year as he hit .309 and with 14 home runs. He was able to do that in an outfield and first base utility combo position last season.

If he is able to produce like that again this season, he may force Carpenter to move back to a different infield spot. He could potentially be a breakout candidate and a very good starting first baseman. He had a mixture of power and average skill set that would fit an successful starting first baseman.

Two to Three Years in the Future

Within two to three years, the Cardinals are hoping that Matt Carpenter will still be their everyday first baseman. He is 32 right now and still can be an effective first baseman as he gets older. First base is a position that many older players can play because there is less running and athleticism involved.

If for some reason, Carpenter is not the first baseman, there are a couple of options of who could be his replacement. The first option is Luke Voit.

Voit was a rookie last year and had a decent--but not great--short rookie year. He was called up during an injury-heavy time period for the Cardinals last season and started off playing well but ended up with only okay numbers. He hit only .246 with four home runs and 18 runs batted in.

Can Tommy Pham be a 30/30 Player in 2018? - Cardsblog

Cardinals baseball is almost here. Pitchers and catchers report one week from the time of this writing. Hopefully, an exciting season awaits, and hopefully, the Cardinals make it back to the playoffs. Let's take a quick look at one of the impact players for the Cardinals in 2018.

Voit is 27 right now, so in two to three years, he will be entering his prime. If he is developed as a hitter and fielder by then, he could very well be a very effective first baseman for the Cardinals.

The other option for the Cardinals is current third baseman Jedd Gyorko. He is currently 29, so in two to three years, he will be at the end of his prime. With some of the talent the Cardinals have in their middle infield in their farm system, it could make sense to move him to first. He is an effective player who can hit for power and sometimes hit for average. He can fit for the Cardinals at first base.

Five Years in the Future

When we look far down the road, the question of who will play first base for the Cardinals becomes very unclear. Most of the team's players five years from now will be too old to play first base. The Cardinals also do not have any proven first base prospects.

A bold idea for who the Cardinals should put at first base is current outfield prospect, Tyler O’Neil. O’Neil is known for his power and he hit 31 home runs combined for AAA for the Cardinals and Mariners organizations last season. He is someone who needs to graduate to the Major Leagues soon.

He is battling with many other outfield prospects for a spot on a roster which already has three starting outfielders signed for years to come. As the years go on, O’Neil needs to find another direction to get to the major leagues if he wants to play on the Cardinals because the Cardinals farm system is filled with so many athletic prospects.

O'Neil could potentially move to first base in order to make the club. He is less athletic than some of the other prospects such as Harrison Bader, so his glove is not something the Cardinals’ outfield would miss if he switched positions.

In five years, he will be entering his prime as a very powerful slugger who can definitely make an impact on the Cardinals team. If he is able to learn how to play first base, he could be the first baseman of the Cardinals’ future.

What to Expect From Jack Flaherty in 2018 - Cardsblog

With pitchers and catchers having just reported for Spring Training, it makes sense that the Cardinals rotation is at the top of the list in terms of pressing 2018 questions. Especially with the recent signing of Yu Darvish by the Cubs, this subject has become even more intriguing.

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