Adam Wainwright on Baseball Reference.. More From This Game. This adds up to a solid career, and one that would be worthy of the Hall of Very Good, but not the Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame should immortalize the greatest starting pitchers of each era. As for R-JAWS, hes entered the top 20, but as he approaches both his 34th birthday and free agency, the question of how many more years hell be trusted to handle the ninth inning looms. Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer just had seasons that good in 2018. May need surgery, but were not close to making any kind of decision on that. It happens a lot. Its available on your preferred podcast platform. But Wainwright proved his solid 2020 wasnt a brief mirage. I like that its a round number, but I assure you that this is merely a coincidence. At least hes in better shape than 31-year-old Freddie Freeman (41.8/32.1/37.0, +1.5 JAWS), who only recently surpassed last years 3.3 WAR. Scherzer and Hernandez are among a group of pitchers at somewhat similar points in their potential Hall of Fame paths; Verlander, Cole Hamels, Zack Greinke, Adam Wainwright and Jon Lester are in . Gerrit Cole (117 wins at age 31) and Chris Sale (114 wins at age 32) are the likeliest active pitchers to approach Wainwrights total. Albert Pujols, Yadier Molina and Adam Wainwright are back together, and they will start Opening Day together for the first time since 2009 on Thursday. The contact rate against him on pitches in the strike zone last season 91 percent was the highest against him during his 17-season MLB career. Wainwright has certainly had a long and successful career, but has it been enough to warrant enshirement in the Hall of Fame? While wins arent everything, Ive chosen to list them chronologically by career win total as a benchmark of evaluation. That may be what landed him on the disabled list with shoulder inflammation this year. Your email address will not be published. While it seems impossible to envision it now, Wainwright was not always a member of the St. Louis Cardinals. However, not all stories have happy endings. His monitor score is only an 87. Wainwright had won nine of 10 decisions coming in. Of course, Wainwright and the Cardinals gave it the nothing to see here treatment. Sale went two years and a day between major league outings due to elbow inflammation, a flexor tendon strain, and Tommy John surgery, but hes made a solid return so far, with a 2.53 ERA and 27.9% strikeout rate through four starts. He has a $217 million contract with the Boston Red Sox, and to make the Hall of Fame, he may need another Cy Young award and a dominant performance in a World Series championship. But if it wasn't for . He'll retire with honors and accolades, becoming a fine coach and St. Louis area legend. If he can maintain this kind of dominance for a few more years, hell get to Cooperstown. Heres what Bowden wrote: Mozeliak was cautious in his comments and reminded me that the right-hander threw only 36 innings last year. Via his 10 All-Star selections, nine Gold Gloves, two World Series rings, and reputation for handling pitching staffs, Molinas already been anointed presumptive first-ballot honoree status. Laurie Skrivan, St, Louis Post-Dispatch Here's a look at some other top Cardinals not in the Hall of Fame. All UZR (ultimate zone rating) calculations are provided courtesy of Mitchel Lichtman. He leads MLB in complete games this season at the age of 40, and is MLB's active leader in complete games with 27. Will this happen? (And hes been getting his work in, at least for the most part.) That being said, the question I had is what a retirement for Adam Wainwright . Of course, theres no prorating stats when it comes to evaluating Hall of Fame candidates, and so Wainwright appeared to be in the company of the likes of Roy Oswalt Wainwrights most similar pitcher per Baseball-Reference.com Cliff Lee and former teammate Chris Carpenter as pitchers who had terrific peaks but lacked the length for serious Cooperstown consideration. It is not as though a 6.4 WAR season alone would do the trickwhile this would put Wainwright over 50 bWAR and at 56.4 fWAR (assuming he hit 6.4 on both metrics), the impact on Wainwrights peak would be much smaller, since he was reasonably good in his seventh best season under both metrics (3.0 bWAR, 3.9 fWAR). The key number regarding Gooden is 48.0, which is the average of his career bWAR, his bWAR7, his career fWAR, and his fWAR7. 177-110, 3.51 ERA, 2,272 strikeouts, 122 adjusted ERA. Its early in spring training. Required fields are marked *. He's a hell of a pitcher and even better human being. For this dispatch, Ill first turn my attention to the pitchers, then backtrack to cover a handful of others position players and pitchers in a more lightning-round fashion. This is a veteran, and he knows what he needs to do. By either that mark or traditional reliever JAWS, the 33-year-old Kimbrel is the biggest gainer this year. 141-80, 3.23 ERA, 1,547 strikeouts, 124 adjusted ERA. Twenty-eight are enshrined in Cooperstown everyone except Wainwright and his fellow active hurlers Scherzer, Justin Verlander and Clayton Kershaw, the latter trio of whom are expected to glide in Cooperstown, as well as Roger Clemens, Tommy John, Luis Tiant, Jerry Koosman, Rick Reuschel, Kevin Brown and Vida Blue. Focusing on what hes better at: Scherzer is just 19 strikeouts away from 3,000 and should reach the milestone this month, surpassing the likes of Juan Marichal, Roy Halladay, and Bob Feller on the JAWS leaderboard. by Handedness, Seven Pitchers (and Some More Position Players) Who Have Most Helped Their Hall of Fame Cases in 2021. by Retrosheet. However, the future Cardinals Hall of Famer is coming off a 2022 season in which he lost velocity, suffered a decline in swing-and-miss stuff and faded to a 17.8 percent strikeout rate. His 2.2 WAR, meanwhile, edged him closer to the career standard (73.3). Keep your fingers crossed, St. Louis fans.. Play-by-play data prior to 2002 was obtained free of charge from and is copyrighted Perhaps (I would argue this is more likely) a new narrative arc would emergeWainwright, say, grits through physical pain to guide the Cardinals to the 2022 World Series and enters a level of folklore which allows voters to look optimistically upon his borderline statistical case (see: Ortiz, David). Wainwright, 40, who has played for the Cardinals since reaching the majors in 2005, is a three-time All-Star and twice led the National League in wins (2009 and 2013). It is possible that the same will be the case for a third Cardinals legend. And if the Sox do pick up his option, he is by no means a lock to pass Eckersley in saves next year if Hendriks gets most of the chances. Not an injury issue? Adam Wainwright, is probably not a Hall of Famer and his 36.7 JAWS likely shouldn't be used as the new . Actually, its two starting pitchers: Jack Flaherty and Adam Wainwright. A similarly impressive 2022 and perhaps 2023, though upon signing a one-year extension with the Cardinals last week, Wainwright strongly hinted he would retire alongside longtime batterymate Yadier Molina following next season added to his 2017-14 peak would nudge him ever closer to a Cooperstown-worthy body of work and at the least underline the kind of company hes already keeping. This year, however, the biggest stars of Opening Day will be three players in Cardinals jerseys who all have legitimate shots of someday being in baseball's Hall of Fame themselves. Hes undergone Tommy John surgery, and his career total of 76 wins is underwhelming. For the last 35 years Bernie Miklasz has entertained, enlightened, and connected with generations of St. Louis sports fans. When the Washington Nationals took Stephen Strasburg first overall in the 2009 draft, he was one of the most hyped prospects in the games history. By checking this box, I agree to the terms of service and privacy policy of Rogers Media. All betting content is intended for an audience ages 21+. DUNEDIN., Fla. Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. left the spring training game against Tampa Bay with right knee discomfort. No ones winning 300 games again, probably, Maybe there will be a couple guys that have a chance Claytons got a chance, Max maybe. Wainwright did not factor into the decision, allowing five runs on four hits in four innings. Velocity? But I just want to know how far back I would have to dig to find an age-40 season in which a pitcher was good enough to get Adam Wainwright to this level of Hall of Fame worthiness. The content on this site is for entertainment and educational purposes only. Adam Wainwright. What a different story we could be telling about 'Waino' had he stayed in Atlanta. In fairness, the Cardinals are correct in their initial thinking. On Wednesday, I took a swing at a question often asked of me: Which players have helped their Hall of Fame cases the most this year? Paul Goldschmidt, first base (49.1 career | 40.6 Peak | 44.9 JAWS, +2.2 JAWS). What would Adam Wainwright need to do in 2022 to deserve Hall of Fame induction? Sabathia has largely been a disappointment since signing a nine-figure extension with the team, and he likely wont be retained when his contract expires after this season. You may have created an account with another Rogers Media account that can be used to sign in here. Once Molina has been. Even if he retired now, Verlander has likely done enough to ensure a plaque in Cooperstown. Justin Verlander has pulled off one of the rare accomplishments for a pitcher winning a league MVP award. 5th stage: 60-day IL. Flaherty pitched 348 innings over the 2018 and 2019 seasons. Bernie has hosted radio shows in St. Louis, Dallas, Baltimore and Washington D.C. Bernie, his wife Kirsten and their cats reside in the Skinker-DeBaliviere neighborhood of St. Louis. Hes actually been tougher to hit than in any season since 2016, but his 14% walk rate has created more traffic than ever, and hes blown five of 35 save chances, though three of those were in consecutive outings in mid-July, accounting for seven of the 16 earned runs hes allowed. I wouldnt expect Wainwright to be at his best at this stage. In the five innings Wainwright yielded eight hits and four earned runs for a 7.20 ERA. Heres a report on Wainwrights Thursday start against the Astros from The Athletics Katie Woo: The velocity on all five of the pitches in his mix averaged between 3-4 mph slower than their average readings in 2022. Drew. Yadier Molina, catcher (58.1 career fWAR (incl. Gibson, who died last October, finished with 3,117. Sure there are. Jansens 30 saves have pushed him to 14th on the all-time list, five away from the next rung and 26 away from cracking the top 10. But is it a Hall of Fame caliber career? Are there baseball seasons good enough to get Adam Wainwright past Dwight Gooden? Major League and Minor League Baseball data provided by Major League Baseball. . Only Price (2018) and Bumgarner (2019) have pitched enough to qualify for an ERA title once since the 2017 season. MILWAUKEE Adam Wainwright joins Hall of Famer Bob Gibson as the only St. Louis Cardinals' pitchers with 2,000 strikeouts, fanning Milwaukee's Luis Urias in the fourth inning. Hes racked up four seasons worth 67 WAR, plus a fifth at 5.7 and a sixth at 4.9; to improve that peak score substantially, he needs big seasons. Adam's parents had a rocky marriage, and they split up when he was around seven years old. Wainwright is one of 39 pitchers to record at least 180 wins, 2,000 strikeouts and an ERA of 3.40 or lower while making at least 350 starts and throwing at least 2,300 innings. Brooklyn-based Jay Jaffe is a senior writer for FanGraphs, the author of The Cooperstown Casebook (Thomas Dunne Books, 2017) and the creator of the JAWS (Jaffe WAR Score) metric for Hall of Fame analysis. When he calls it a career, Wainwright won't be a serious contender for baseball's Hall of Fame, unlike Molina. Your existing password has not been changed. Poll : Should Adam Wainwright be in the Hall of Fame? Those skills may eventually result in a spot in the Hall of Fame. Interestingly enough, he missed the entire 2011 season for the world champion St. Louis Cardinals, but he did play an integral role as a closer in the 2006 playoffs, throwing 9.2 scoreless innings in the playoffs. He was traded to St. Louis in 2003 from the Braves in a deal that saw outfielder J.D. The starting pitcher, who will enter his 19th season with the Cards, was drafted by the Atlanta Braves. Adam Wainwright K's McCormick. St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright may have ended a solid career. None. Now his current difficulties are being downplayed because the leg/glute tightness, the back spasms, the finger. He, of course, can retract this, but as he is now in his 40s, Im inclined to believe hes serious. But if youd told me four years ago when his career looked absolutely left for dead that I would even half-heartedly entertain the notion, I would have doubted that even more. 2000-2023 Rogers Media. But its just not going to happen anymore the way pitchers are used now and the way free agency is and (how) careers go. What a career Adam Wainwright and Yadier Molina have shared together! Wainwright, however, has a much more finite timetablehe has announced that he is retiring. All picks and predictions are suggestions only. His draft stock suggests he has the ability to be a top-tier pitcher, but as of now, hes not on a Cooperstown track. All WAR (and WPA) figures here refer to the Baseball Reference version, unless otherwise indicated. Even having covered the progress of 17 mid- and late-career players in these two installments, there are a handful who have posted JAWS gains that would fit on the leaderboards and about whom people have questions regarding their Hall progress. In the spirit of giving my readers what they want, heres a lightning round, where Ill keep things uncharacteristically brief. Or could it be that a lot of this is happening because Wainwright is 41 years old and headed to his 42nd birthday on Aug. 30? All Wins Above Replacement and Wins Above Average data comes . Leg and glute stiffness that limited his leg drive, the aftereffect of recent back spasms, and a torn finger blister. He had one brother, Trey, who was seven years his senior. But, while neither was young, per se, by baseball standards (it was deGroms age-30 season and Scherzers age-33), there is a big leap to get to Adam Wainwrights age-40 season which looms ahead. In that piece, I highlighted 10 position players, some of whom have gained significant ground via JAWS, others who reached major milestones or simply returned to productivity after injury-plagued stretches. Follow Cody Swartz on Twitter (@cbswartz5). 2020 has given us many. 100-70, 2.99 ERA, 1,409 strikeouts, 123 adjusted ERA. While I dont think the statistical mistake that was inducting Rick Ferrell means that we should induct Mickey Tettleton, in my perfect world we would have sixteen Hall of Famers at the catcher position, though the ones who are in would be different (for instance, among the currently eligible, Gene Tenace would be there), and we would go from there. Adam Wainwright joined Hall of Famer Bob Gibson as the only St. Louis Cardinals pitchers with 2,000 strikeouts, fanning Milwaukee's Luis Uras in the fourth inning Thursday. Saturday marked the end of an era for the St. Louis Cardinals. St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Adam Wainwright (50) sits in the dugout during the second inning of a baseball game between the Cardinals and the Pirates on Thursday, April, 7, 2022, at. I took a look at 10 active starting pitchers with borderline Hall of Fame resumes and broke down their odds of enshrinement. Of the four active starters who are within hailing distance of the JAWS standard (61.1), none has done more to help himself in 2021 than Scherzer, who has been stellar in his age-36 season, pitching to a 2.40 ERA and 3.12 FIP in 146 innings for the Nationals and Dodgers. Hall of Very Good. Guerrero was seen walking toward the clubhouse with an athletic trainer in the second inning and was replaced defensively by Rainer Nunez to start the third. . Hernandez also holds the distinction of having been the last MLB pitcher to throw a perfect game (2012). Adam Wainwright will return for his 19th season with the. It was almost a storybook season for the St. Louis Cardinals as club legends Adam Wainwright, Albert Pujols, and Yadier Molina were reunited and looked primed for a deep postseason run. Write some stories about it! Wainwright said. Theres a good chance no pitcher will again crack the 300-win plateau, a mark that has been achieved 24 times throughout the sports history. 4th stage: The latest MRI showed something that was a little off, and we think its smart to do more tests and let him go get a second opinion. But he didnt become a full-time starter until his age-24 season, and hes now pitched for a quarter of the American League teams. Hes never pitched for a World Series champion, and his career postseason statistics wont help him hes 2-8 with a 5.54 ERA, and hes gotten completely shelled on multiple occasions. DRS changes, injuries, and the shortened season have dealt the slugging third basemans case a set of blows in recent years, making it even harder to overcome his late start. What's the Dodgers' plan at shortstop? The greatest lineups ever? He has been a recurring guest on MLB Network and a member of the BBWAA since 2011. This is a question that has been frequently raised throughout the season as the Cardinals' 'Big Three' (Pujols, Wainwright, Molina) were constantly praised by St. Louis fans.
