St. Louis Cardinals: Adam Wainwright continues to be rock of rotation

After every good start that Adam Wainwright produces for the St. Louis Cardinals (which is pretty much every appearance), you hear journalists, managers, and players praise the 40-year-old and proclaim, “VINTAGE WAINO.”

As Adam Wainwright enters his 17th big league season, all with the St. Louis Cardinals, it is hard to fathom the past couple of seasons the veteran righty has had. However, I ponder every time that I hear the “VINTAGE WAINO” praise from his peers. Adam Wainwright would tell you himself that he is not 2009-2014 Adam Wainwright, he has had to adapt to the new era of baseball and modify his arsenal to be effective without the ability to throw 94-95 mph like in years past.

The 2022 version of Adam Wainwright is not vintage, but rather a reinvention of himself with the St. Louis Cardinals.

After some shaky years along the latter half of the 2010s, Waino came to the harsh reality that his arm was no longer what it once was. The curveball was still a thing of beauty, but the velocity and command were starting to slip. I can only imagine the work that he and Yadier Molina put in, but he has gone on to flush any doubts about his ability down the toilet. With pinpoint command of all five of his pitches, he has risen back to superstar status in the NL and is a huge reason the St. Louis Cardinals have remained competitive the last couple of years. Heading into Monday, he currently leads the club in wins (five), ERA (2.70), and innings pitched (66.0).

Watch the timeless Wainwright Curveball

As for the rest of the St. Louis rotation, they have found themselves having to lean on Wainwright to go seven-plus innings a night. Injuries have plagued the Cardinals starting pitchers in 2022. Jack Flaherty hasn’t pitched this year and is just now beginning his rehab assignments in Double-A Springfield. The Jordan Hicks experiment has been a whirlwind and he has ended up on the 15-day IL with an unclear role/usage plan going forward. Former top pitching prospect Alex Reyes has been receiving second opinions on his right shoulder and the Cardinals expect him to undergo surgery which will likely hold him out for all of 2022. Left-hander Stephen Matz had an up-and-down start to the season and now finds himself on the IL. The outlook for Matz is a little brighter as he is expected to return in the next week or two.

All of these storylines lead back to Adam Wainwright being the “guy” in St. Louis. Flaherty is going to be a welcomed sight for manager Ollie Marmol, but you can’t put lofty expectations on such a young arm that has endured the injuries that Flaherty has dealt with. The rest of the rotation has been serviceable to the Cardinals as they try to hold things together and keep pace with the Milwaukee Brewers. Miles Mikolas has slowed down a bit from his hot start, but still holds a 4-3 record with a 3.02 ERA. Dakota Hudson has shown some incredible perseverance in his starts and has battled his way to a 4-2 record and a 2.96 ERA.

The Cardinals may have to rely on a pair of young pitchers throughout the rest of the season, with a pair of inexperienced left-handers tasked with some tough assignments in the summer months.

Matthew Liberatore is the number three overall (top pitching) prospect for the Cardinals and has gotten his opportunity in the majors. He has yet to eclipse 5.0 innings pitched in his first three appearances, but is somebody who has the potential to fill the 4 or 5 spots in the rotation. With similar mechanics to Dodgers legend Clayton Kershaw, the 6-foot-4, 22-year-old lefty has serious upside that the Cardinals would certainly love to see come into fruition this summer.

Zack Thompson made his debut on the weekend and went 4.0 IP with three strikeouts and one walk. Command was an issue in the minors, but he looked good in his appearance at Wrigley Field on Friday. Thompson is someone who will only retain his big league status if he can stay in the strike zone and eat up innings when he is asked.

His role is unclear, and he will be asked to pitch in a variety of situations whether it is a late-inning role, middle relief, or even a spot start here and there. Time will tell.