St. Louis Cardinals Adam Wainwright: Time to Panic?
By Bill Pivetz
The Cardinals ace Adam Wainwright is struggling to start the season. If you own him, do you hang onto him or cut ties before it’s too late?
The St. Louis Cardinals, even with some of the losses in the offseason, have one of the best teams in the league. The management is top-notch, the coaching is good and the players are classy. They have a real good chance to once again win the National League Central and make a run for another World Series.
Unfortunately, that can’t happen if their No. 1 starting pitcher continues to struggle. Adam Wainwright has had a horrible first three starts of the season. Is it time to make a move or hold on tight?
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Adam Wainwright has been a top pitcher for most of his career. He was drafted in the ninth round as the No. 22 starting pitcher in ESPN leagues. As of right now, he is currently ranked as the No. 180 pitcher on the Player Rater. It’s been a tough first two weeks for Wainwright.
His first start wasn’t that bad. He pitched six innings against the Pittsburgh Pirates, giving up three runs on six hits and three walks while striking out three. That qualifies as a quality start, despite the high WHIP. However, that would be the best we see from Wainwright.
His next start was on the road against the Atlanta Braves. He went just five innings and gave up five runs on six hits and five walks while recording just two strikeouts. His most recent start on Saturday against the Cincinnati Reds was the worst of the season. He went just 5.1 innings giving up 10 hits and one walk while allowing seven batters to cross the plate.
His current stats read as follows. He’s 0-2 with an 8.27 ERA, 1.90 WHIP, nine walks and seven strikeouts. Right now, he’s not a pitcher you can rely on. Though, I do think he can pull his season around in his next start.
Adam Wainwright doesn’t pitch again until Friday when he faces the San Diego Padres. San Diego ranks 21st in average, 26th in on-base percentage, 28th in slugging percentage and 17th in runs scored. What I’m trying to say is, if Wainwright can’t get straighten things out against the Padres, then I would look to move on from him.
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Some fantasy owners are already moving on from Adam Wainwright. He’s been dropped in 3.6 percent of leagues. While that may not seem like a lot, for someone who is a Cy Young-caliber pitcher, that’s a lot. Like I said in a previous post, it is just April. If you own Wainwright, I would take one more chance and start him on Friday. It may seem like a risk using him towards the end of the week, but that’s a risk I would be willing to take.