JUPITER, Fla. — The St. Louis Cardinals' starting first baseman in April will likely be the candidate swinging the hottest bat in March.

For Matt Adams and Brandon Moss, that battle could come down to which player has best recovered from injury.

Adams was the opening day starter at first last year, but a quadriceps injury cost him much of the 2015 season. He played in only 43 games before undergoing surgery and missed three months in the middle of the campaign. Adams hit only one of his five home runs in the final month.

“I started to feel like I was going through spring training all over again,” Adams said.

With Adams sidelined, St. Louis traded for Moss, a player mired in his own disappointing season after undergoing hip surgery prior to 2015. The surgery was successful, but Moss said he never really regained the strength in his legs, which disrupted his swing.

“I feel like your best swing is always going to be your most natural swing,” said Moss, who hit .225 with 19 homers and 58 RBIs between Cleveland and St. Louis last season. “When you have to make certain changes and certain adjustments off the bat, then you can make them, but when you completely change things because of an injury or because you're not as strong, then it's harder to maintain those swings. Then once you lose it, it's really hard to find it.”

Both players said they were pain free Tuesday for the Cardinals' first full squad workout.

“They both look good,” Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said.

Moss signed a one-year contract in the offseason and intends to spend the next few weeks taking advantage of his reacquired strength.

“I definitely know, for me, it's just about finding that swing and finding those mechanics that eluded me so much last year — and finding the confidence,” Moss said. “Last year there was so much focus on being healthy and seeing how that hip was going to respond. Everything revolved around that.”

Whether it's from Adams, Moss or some other player, the Cardinals need power from their first baseman. They got just 18 homers from the position last season, third worst in the National League behind Colorado and San Diego.