Cardinals hoping Adam Wainwright can reinvent himself
As Spring Training continues, the Cardinals are hoping they can get Adam Wainwright closer to his former self this season.
One of the hardest things to watch in sports is a former star player fading into obscurity as they get older. Such has been the case with St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright. He’s put together a highly successful career, but the past few seasons have been rough for the right-hander.
On Thursday, Wainwright tossed two scoreless innings for the Cardinals in his first Grapefruit League start of the year. But it wasn’t exactly a leisurely breeze. In those two innings, he gave up two hits and issued three walks. Twenty-one of his 47 pitches were balls.
This is unfortunately how Wainwright looked most of last season. The 2017 season was easily the worst year of his career. The 36-year-old pitched to the tune of a 5.11 ERA over just 123 1/3 innings pitched. Health was a problem for Wainwright, as he had multiple stints on the DL.
Command has been a pressing issue for the pitcher as well. Last season, he posted a career-worst 1.500 WHIP. Since 2013, his strikeout rate has decreased while his walk rate has increased. In fact, just about every measurable stat has been trending in the wrong direction for Wainwright. Innings pitched, home runs per nine innings pitched, FIP, you name it.
Across five seasons from 2009 to 2014 (Wainwright missed the 2011 season), he was one of the most dominant starting pitchers in the game. Over that period, he went 92-50 with a 2.83 ERA (135 ERA+) and an impressive 2.89 FIP. For the better part of a decade, he was St. Louis’ most valuable player. Twice he’s been the NL ERA leader while making three all-star appearances and winning two Gold Gloves. And, as an added bonus, he’s proven to be one of the more capable hitters for a pitcher, having hit 10 career home runs.
It certainly looks as though Wainwright’s best days are behind him. But that doesn’t mean he can’t be a productive pitcher for the Cardinals this year. Once an elite force in the league, he’ll need to find new ways to be as effective as possible on the mound.
Wainwright’s velocity has dipped some, though that’s fairly common for pitchers who’ve had Tommy John surgery. But fastball velocity is far from being the end-all, be-all for success. And Wainwright has never really been the type of pitcher who dominates by overpowering opposing hitters. His strength has always been his accuracy. Good pitch placement has been the key to his success throughout his career.
His strikeout rate has gone done the past few years. And that’s probably not a trend he’ll be able to buck at this point. To get more outs during his age-36 season, he’ll need to induce more groundballs and weak contact. Finding better command will be vital for him this season. Staying low in the zone more often could help to limit the damage this time around. Being able to mix speeds will also be important for keeping hitters on their toes.
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Wainwright may never be as dominant as he once was. But he can still find ways to be a valuable part of this Cardinals squad. On paper, their lineup looks better than it did last season. Their rotation is a big question mark, though. Wainwright finding ways to improve will be hugely important for the Redbirds this year.