Former Cardinals 1B Matt Adams announces retirement; will be honored at Busch Stadium Wednesday

ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - 'Big City' is hanging up his cleats.

On Sunday night, former St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Matt Adams announced on his Instagram he is retiring from professional baseball. Adams will be honored on Wednesday, Sept. 18 at Busch Stadium.

"After 15 incredible years of playing professional baseball, it is with tremendous gratitude and emotion I share my decision to transition to the next chapter of my career," said Adams in an Instagram post. "While my body is still healthy, my drive is as strong as ever, and my heart still belongs to the game, the time has come to step beyond playing."

Adams was drafted by the Cardinals in the 23rd round of the 2009 MLB Draft out of Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania, back when the MLB Draft was still a ridiculous 40 rounds long. Although he was a low round draft pick, Adams would work way up the Cardinals farm system, making his major league debut for the Cardinals in 2012.

Adams would go on to play 10 seasons in the majors, mostly with Cardinals. Alongside playing for the Cardinals in his career, Adams would also appear in games for the Colorado Rockies, Atlanta Braves and Washington Nationals, winning the 2019 World Series with the latter.

During his time with the Cardinals, Adams was a contributor to the Cardinals appearance in the 2013 World Series. Most notably, Adams helped the Cardinals make the 2014 NLCS, hitting a go-ahead home run at Busch Stadium against Los Angeles Dodgers starter Clayton Kershaw in game four of the 2014 NLDS.

In his career, Adams hit 118 home runs, posted a career slash line of .258/.306/.463 with a career OPS of .769.

While Adams career as a professional baseball player has come to an end, Adams says that he will look to remain in the game and seek out coaching opportunities.

"Over the last few years, I've had the privilege of taking on a mentoring role as a veteran player," said Adams. "Through that experience, I've found a new way to love the game --- one that allows me to share my knowledge and help guide the next generation of athletes. That's the direction I'm eager to explore."