The secret to Matt Adams' offseason transformation? Pilates

It’s time for St. Louis Cardinals fans to think a new name to call Matt Adams when they get upset with him.

Adams — the 28-year-old first baseman — has been mocked as “Fat Adams” during his last two underwhelming seasons. But it looks like that won’t fly anymore, as Adams has undergone an offseason transformation with the help of a new diet, a better workout routine and a consistent dose of Pilates.

Check out this picture that Kim Wallis, Adams’ Pilates instructor, shared on Instagram:

Now compare that to this picture of Adams — who was listed at 6-foot-4 and 260 pounds last season — from September:

Matt Adams last September. (AP)

As of early January, Adams had lost 25 pounds this offseason, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Adams stayed in St. Louis this winter to commit himself to training, working closely with Wallis as well as other Cardinals teammates both in the Pilates studio and in more traditional weight-room training sessions.

Wallis, who runs Pilates 4 Pros in St. Louis, has worked with a number of pro athletes, including NFL players Zac Stacy and David Bass, NHL players Jaden Schwartz and Jamal Mayers. Adams isn’t the first baseball player to turn to pilates either. Jake Arrieta has credited it with helping his turnaround.

Adams enters the 2017 season as a question mark in the Cardinals lineup. They’ve said they plan to move Matt Carpenter to first base, meaning Adams would most likely be coming off the bench. Unless, of course, he shows he’s back to playing like it’s 2014, when he hit .288. Last season, he dipped down to .249. In 2015, he hit .240 with a .280 on-base percentage.

Earlier this month, the Post-Dispatch delved into Adams’ offseason routine:

Wallis has toned Adams’ schedule, helping him reduce weight by reducing body fat as well. Each day he has two workouts, and sometimes three. Three times a week he goes with pitcher Lance Lynn and [Cardinals’ strength and conditioning coordinator Pete] Prinzi to a Pilates class. Five days a week he has a lifting program that is split into two upper-body days, two lower-body days, and one total-body day. Mixed into that schedule are cardio workouts, like the ones he did Friday. On Saturday, he’ll be at a Pilates class and then off to a cardio regimen. In the evening, he’ll receive an outline of his meals for the next day, down to calories and the time.

“That’s the way I work best,” Adams said. “If I’ve got a schedule, I’ll do everything on that schedule. That was one of the biggest things about being here and about working with Kim. I could be on that. I feel the benefit everywhere in the weight room, in Pilates, and in the batting cage. In Pilates – the body doesn’t tire as much. The core strength is better. I feel my stamina is way better. In the cage – I’m hitting the ball harder. … The way to explain is this: I’m using my body more efficiently. All the strength that I’ve worked to get in the weight room or through Pilates, I’m able to put that into my swing more efficiently. It feels natural, just natural. More control, then explode.”

Adam’s actual nickname — the one fans call him when they’re not mad — is Big City and even that might need some adjusting now. But Cardinals fans shouldn’t mind coming up with new nicknames if it means they get a more productive Matt Adams.