Adam Wainwright has re-signed with the St. Louis Cardinals. He might be 39 years old, but he’s shown few signs of slowing down even at his age. Jon Heyman is reporting that Wainwright will be making $8 million in 2021 with a full no-trade clause with incentives.
Adam Wainwright is returning to the St. Louis Cardinals on a one-year deal, per @JonHeyman pic.twitter.com/i90b7uWlSf
— Bleacher Report MLB (@BR_MLB) January 29, 2021
Adam Wainwright Stays Home
Wainwright had another quality campaign in 2020. He led the Cardinals with 62 and two-thirds innings pitched and produced at a top-level. He had an excellent 3.15 ERA with 54 strikeouts and just 15 walks over 10 starts. His FIP of 4.10 indicates he received help from his defense when it came to preventing runs, but there’s no arguing he was one of St. Louis’s most reliable arms. Some of the most encouraging stats were a stable strikeout percentage of 20.6 and a decreased walk percentage of 5.7. Wainwright’s career strikeout percentage is 20.3 and his walk is 6.6 including 220 stats. It’s very nice to see that age hasn’t kept the veteran from sitting batters down at a consistent rate.
He should be a quality thrower again in 2021. Wainwright’s fastball velocity has averaged under 90 MPH for five of the past six seasons, but that has led to increased and effective use of the curveball. That pitch’s usage is over 36 percent for the past three years. It is a huge part of why he has still struck out over seven batters per nine innings in spite of diminished velocity. There’s nothing to suggest, other than being 39-years-old, that production can’t continue.
Wainwright’s Role Moving Forward
He will certainly return to the back of the rotation for 2021. The top of the team’s rotation is fairly set, but there are always questions about rotations after the first 2-3 pitchers for most teams. His contract is reasonable enough that the team can look for more reinforcements as well. There is no doubt that at minimum, Wainwright’s experience will be invaluable depending on how the 2021 season progresses.
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