2. Adam Wainwright
Adam Wainwright earns a spot on this list because of what he has done for the Cardinals in seasons past. The current season he is having is the only thing that could keep him from being put in the number one spot on this list. He has looked nothing like the pitcher he once was, as age looks to finally have caught up with the Cardinals ace.
He was the best player on the Cardinals after Albert Pujols left, giving them ace-like production season after season. The problem now is whether he can learn to pitch as an older player with less velocity, or if he is going to have to consider hanging it up sometime soon.
If he does neither of those things and continues to pitch like he has at times this season, he may soon force the Cardinals into a tough decision. For now he can do a lot to convince fans and the front office he can still help the team by helping the postseason push. For the Cardinals to have postseason success they need vintage Adam Wainwright, they need the guy that gave them great seasons and helped lead their team to the postseason in many other years. If they can find that guy the Cardinals will be the team with the most legitimate postseason shot beyond a one-game Wild Card matchup.