Matthew James Adams (born August 31, 1988) is an American professional baseball first baseman and left fielder for the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball (MLB). Nicknamed Big City for his imposing size and ability to regularly hit long home runs, the Cardinals selected Adams in the 23rd round of the 2009 MLB draft from Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania. Playing in the Texas League in 2011, Adams was recognized as that league's Most Valuable Player and the Cardinals Minor League Player of the Year with a .300 batting average, 32 home runs and 101 runs batted in. He made his MLB debut with the Cardinals in 2012. In his rookie season in 2013, Adams hit 17 home runs in 296 at-bats. Adams also played for the Atlanta Braves and Washington Nationals.