50 and Out

 

2023, now that I think about it, is a season that could mark the final one for several constant figures of my collecting upbringing. Miguel Cabrera's the sole real definite, but Zack Greinke, Rich Hill, Ian Kennedy, Nelson Cruz and Charlie Blackmon are all heading towards the end of seasons where they have an opportunity to bow out calmly. A lot of them are thinking about it, as they don't have a lot left to work with.

That's honestly the case with Adam Wainwright, a guy whose first MLB season ended in a World Series win that he got the final out of, led to one more ring, and years of consistency with just one team. Waino just turned 42, and he's heading into what is probably the last month of his Cardinals career. As tough as last year was for Cards fans, where they had to say goodbye to Yadier Molina and Albert Pujols, this year may be just as tough if Wainwright leaves.

And honestly, he should have considered going out with his teammates as well. 2022 was a strong season for Wainwright, even as a 40-year-old, and he finished with a 3.71 ERA and 143 Ks, both respectable figures. But he thought he had some stuff left so he stayed on for one more year, and as a result, Wainwright is having the worst year of his career. He's got an 8.10 ERA, a 3-10 record, a 1.980 WHIP and a negative WAR. Is it the result of his Cardinals not having the run support to keep him steady? Is it just what happens when a guy pitches til he's 42? It could be both, it could be neither. But this is a less than dignified final season, if it is that, for the Cardinals legend.

In fact, with seasons like this, it does make me wonder how sportswriters will assess Wainwright's HOF case at the end of the decade. Wainwright has 2 World Series rings, finished in the top 3 of the Cy Young voting in four years, all in his prime, and notched 17 or more wins on five occasions. I think there's definitely a possibility, and as pitching-heavy as the late 2020s are gonna be for HOF inductions, Wainwright at least deserves some attention. The one knock against him would be some lull years of injuries in between the high points, but that's kind of par for the course for any great pitcher these days. And I don't think a poor final season will wreck his case, much like it won't wreck Greinke's.

The one thing I am kinda rooting for is that Waino is 2 wins away from 200, which is as close as anyone in the modern era is getting to 300 these days, and I hope he gets it. Would at least make this season worth it for him, and for Cardinals fans.

Coming Tomorrow- This has been a really good year for backup catchers. Gabriel Moreno, Riley Adams, Ryan Jeffers, Yainer Diaz, Freddy Fermin, and, now that you mention it, this guy.

Who'll Stop the Wain

 

This man is 40 and he's got a 2.87 ERA, 36 Ks and 5 wins. Most people, most pitchers, around this age, pack up and say they're done. ADAM WAINWRIGHT IS NOT DONE.

And that's honestly one of the reasons why sportswriters are gonna have a field day with his Hall of Fame case at the end of the decade. Wainwright not only had his peak, from 2007 to 2014, but where most careers would end around the time he misses seasons due to injury and has a comparatively lackluster full season [so 2019], Wainwright just kept going. His 2020 was great, last year he was excellent, going 17-7, his best record since his peak years ended, and now he's leading the Cardinals rotation ONCE AGAIN in Jack Flaherty's absence. And once again, might I stress that this man is 40 years old, and he still throws scorching fastballs. 

In analyzing the strikeout artists of the 2010s, and in figuring out which ones are bound for the Hall of Fame, you have a bunch down pat already. Verlander, Greinke, Scherzer, Kershaw, they're all going in. Kluber, Cole, deGrom, Strasburg...there are cases. Waino was one of the best pitchers in the league for a good 7 year period, and is currently STILL one of the best pitchers in the league. There'll probably be one guy that goes 'WELL WHAT ABOUT THOSE YEARS IN BETWEEN', forgetting that Dennis Eckersley is a Hall of Famer. Or somebody'll go 'he doesn't have enough individual accolades', even if he finished in the top 3 of the Cy Young voting 4 times and has a World Series ring [woulda had two if he wasn't having Tommy John during the 2011 season]. 

I also point to how much of a leader Wainwright became after Chris Carpenter retired. How the rotations would be designed basically around him. I also think about the 2015 season, where the Cardinals used John Lackey as the replacement Waino, and tried to make a recreation of that environment with a similarly tenured pitcher, and it WORKED. It saved Lackey's career and it allowed for an eventual Waino comeback. And in every season where the Cardinals have designed things around Flaherty, things have evened out to circle Wainwright instead, and it's still worked. The man has a 2.83 postseason ERA, 123 postseason strikeouts, and saved the last game of the 2006 Series. The accolades are there. The longevity is there. I think there's a case to be made.

As for the 2022 Cardinals...I'll say it again, this is the kind of Cardinals team that can lift my decade-long hatred of that organization. I thought they had a perfect lineup going into the season, and now that they've brought up Brendan Donovan, Nolan Gorman, Juan Yepez and Matthew Liberatore, the lineup's somehow even better. This team could do crazy things in the postseason, and I see them lapping the Brewers soon enough.

Coming Tonight: I hope none of you worried the legend was over.

Topps Cards That Should Have Been: 2006 Cardinals

 

In 2006, the St. Louis Cardinals won their first World Series in 24 years, and since they hadn't torn Ryan Howard's achilles yet, I was perfectly fine with this.

I mean, if anything, I wanted the Tigers to lose, because the Yankees had a shot that year and we really should have been there, but...this Cardinals team was surprisingly likable, and it was cool to see players like Albert Pujols, Scott Rolen and Jim Edmonds receive their first W.S. rings. 

It was also the first ring for a player who's still lights-out to this day, and that's Adam Wainwright. Probably the biggest omission Topps made in compiling their Update set, Waino, in his first full season, was used entirely as a bullpen piece, appearing in 61 games with a 3.12 ERA and 72 Ks. Even more importantly, he went scoreless in 9.2 postseason innings, with 15 Ks, 4 saves, and a crucial W.S. win. It was the breakout season for a player who'd become Cardinals baseball for the next 15 years, and...he didn't get a proper card til 2007 Topps.

Similarly shafted,

Chris Duncan also had a breakout season in 2006, hitting .293 with 22 homers and 43 RBIs in 90 games. He was an excellent outfield piece, covering for Edmonds during an injury, and providing bat support when So Taguchi just wouldn't cut it. This season would set him up as a Cardinals mainstay for the next few years before flaming out at the end of the decade, and eventually passing a few years ago.

Braden Looper, one of the more underrepresented closing pieces of the 2000s as far as Topps is concerned, was coming off a decent season closing up in Queens before he signed with St. Louis. While the ninth was occupied by Jason Isringhausen, Looper still worked really well as a relief piece, with a 3.56 ERA in 69 games, including 9 wins. This would be the last truly strong season of his career, before his numbers would dip in the next 3 seasons.

One of the sneakiest moves the Cardinals made prior to the season was snagging Aaron Miles from the Rockies in exchange for Larry Bigbie and a prospect. Bigbie's tenure in Colorado was forgettable, but Miles quickly became a strong 2B option in St. Louis, hitting .263 with 112 hits. He did have some defensive troubles that held him back from being an elite choice, but he got them to a World Series, didn't he? Hell, he had some pretty nice contact numbers in the playoffs.

Onto the unsung heroes portion, for 5 games the Cardinals had support from Ricardo Rincon, immortalized by his role in the 2002 Moneyball A's team. After 3 strong years with Oakland, Rincon signed with St. Louis, and had an injury-plagued year where even in 5 relief appearances he couldn't keep his ERA below 10. If the Cardinals didn't have as many excellent relief options in 2006, it would have been a worrying absence. 

And before the Cardinals were dead set on Miles at 2nd, they had signed Junior Spivey to a minor league deal, after his strong work a few years prior with Arizona. However, in the years since his 2002 breakout he had dulled into a fairly forgettable infield contact bat, and he struggled in a Spring Training audition. He'd never find MLB numbers again, which is a sad end to a career that seemed to be so promising at one point.

Tomorrow, we'll look at some Cubs from 2014, the year before things went crazy for them. 

Wain-ing Moon

 We're getting to the point where 2021 may be the final season for a lot all-time greats. Albert Pujols's contract runs out after this year, Nelson Cruz only signed a one-year deal, and Jon Lester and Justin Verlander both are approaching precarious injury situations. 

And then there's Adam Wainwright. One start into his age-39 season and he's already worrying some people.

Wainwright's first start of the season only lasted 2.2 innings, and he gave up 7 hits and 6 earned runs in that time period to the Cincinnati Reds, who are becoming an early favorite in the NL Central. He only struck out one batter, and his former glory of knocking down lineups and being intimidating up there seemed to be past him. He does start the home opener tomorrow, but it's against Corbin Burnes, a younger, more intimidating fire baller, and a very potent Brewer roster. 

It's telling that Waino and Carlos Martinez, two staples of the mid-2010s Cardinals playoff teams, are the ones who are holding back the Cards' rotation. Flaherty had a great start today, and both John Gant and Daniel Poncedeleon have been impressive in early starts. But it seems like the Cardinals are trying to forge a new identity, and Wainwright, and his depleted numbers, are holding the team back.

Look at the lineup- yes, they've still rallied around Yadier Molina, but different kinds of batters are succeeding in St. Louis now. Not just power-hitters like Paul Goldschmidt, but five-tool guys like Nolan Arenado and Tommy Edman, and lethal contact guys like Dylan Carlson and Paul De Jong. True, some people still aren't hitting for average, but this is an intriguing team that's coming together, and even if they don't ace the division, they're still gonna be at it for a while. 

I kinda hope that Wainwright has some better starts, but it's looking like 2021 might be the capper on a strong career. He's a Cardinals legend for sure, regardless of what BBWAA writers think in a few years.

Coming Tomorrow- You can take the hitter out of Denver, but you can't take Denver out of the hitter. 

Waino or Shine

 While it's not as strong a position as last year, the St. Louis Cardinals will, in fact, be headed to the postseason this year, which is still a big deal, considering how for several weeks they weren't allowed to play due to COVID positives. 

And considering how many initial replacement members seemed to not fit in the majors, I'm surprised the Cardinals could make it back. You have them grabbing players out of every corner, even if some or untested or some give up four home runs in a row. Occasionally a replacement works, like Brad Miller, who's been a staple of the lineup thanks to his clutch ability, and Austin Gomber, who's been making big starts thanks to injuries to Dakota Hudson. But a lot of them didn't.

Once the rest of this team returned, and once centerpieces like Yadier Molina, Paul deJong and Dexter Fowler could come back, the playoff case heightened. You also can see the youth taking over, and newer players like Kwang-Hyun Kim, Tommy Edman and Dylan Carlson getting playing time along with veterans like Molina, Fowler and Adam Wainwright, and while the mix may not be as potent as in 2019, it's working. 

Not only is Kolten Wong having another strong year, but the young outfield duo of Tyler O'Neill and Harrison Bader is making waves with strong WAR numbers and good offensive production. Them and Edman have made a truly impressive outfield that could be tricky to go up against this postseason.

Are they the best team in this formation? No. But they're capable of insanely good luck and great big game moments, so they could sneak back to the further rungs of the playoffs without us thinking they will. 

Coming Tomorrow- For the first time in four years, they're not leading the AL West. Which, while joyous for the rest of the league, is sad news for this still-consistent outfield bat.

Wain or Shine

In doing an Adam Wainwright custom, I have to now look up what insane Cardinals stat he's topped now, as that's basically become his god-given right as a Cardinals pitcher now. That's what he and Yadier Molina keep doing, just climbing the all-time Cards leaderboards.

...let's see, with 154 wins, Adam Wainwright is now the fourth-winningest pitcher in Cardinals history, behind Bob Gibson and two other people I am too indifferent to look up. You could argue that the fact that Wainwright has played for St. Louis since 2006 and has just now reached 154 wins says more about the devaluation of the win, as well as the over saturation of the pitching rotation in general, but...even if it is *only* 154, it's still a good number, and it puts Wainwright in great company among Cardinals. I can only imagine they're putting Waino and Molina on the wall of fame when they retire, because...come on. I hate the Cardinals and I can even agree with that shit.

Now, Baseball HOF on the other hand? I wouldn't say Wainwright has THAT great a case, but...Molina will probably get a ton of support, and I don't really see why he shouldn't.

Do the Cardinals have much else to say this year that doesn't have to do with all-time leaderboards and individual achievement? Well...it's tough to say. The team's at exactly .500 right now, which...while putting them at third, isn't...great. I mean, I can only imagine the fans aren't THRILLED, as they got Paul Goldschmidt over the winner and he was supposed to turn them into contenders, and now...it's more of a team effort than the 'Paul Goldschmidt show' as it were.

It's really the same guys from last year who are running this team this year. Paul DeJong, Kolten Wong, Marcell Ozuna, Harrison Bader. The new faces that are joining the charge aren't new signings, but rookies like Daniel Poncedeleon, Giovanny Gallegos and Tommy Edman, who are all doing relatively well. I mean, I honestly don't think this is the kind of team that wins by having big feats of offense and big, power hitting strong dudes showing off. This isn't the Yankees or Dodgers. This is a more calculated, tricky roster, made up of guys like DeJong and Wong who are getting it done with hits and RBIs.

I don't know if this means they can chase Milwaukee and Chicago, but...they're certainly allowed to try.

Coming Tomorrow- Says a lot about this season where I thought I'd done a custom of this guy in April, but I hadn't. That was Tommy La Stella. So now I'm finally doing one of him.

Uncustomed Heroes of 2018: Cardinals

I never thought the Cardinals would respond to the loss of Mike Matheny by...performing better than they did with him as manager. I never could imagined how insane their August was, and how inexplicably they rose to, and fell from, power. They were the A's, only without the stability.

And...truth be told, they weren't a bad team. Granted, they weren't good enough to sneak into the playoffs, and lost too many crucial September matchups to land on a WC spot. So...they just have some accolades.

One of them is still having Carlos Martinez, one of the most notorious strikeout artists, and one of the perennial leaders in walks, in baseball. He had a down year by his own standards, but...he's still Carlos Martinez, and he's still one of the closest things the team has to an ace.

Well...aside from...

...oh yeah, their ACTUAL ACE.

Adam Wainwright, who's been fairly hit-miss in his last few seasons, decided to use his late-year return from the DL as a way of reminding people he can still throw hella hard. 40 strikeouts in 8 starts hard. Granted, his W/L ratio still isn't back, but the Cards are definitely banking on a return to form in 2019.

The numbers may not completely illuminate this, but Kolten Wong had another strong season at second, being one of the primary offensive leaders for the Cards with a 3.5 WAR. I'd put this year down a few pegs from his 100+ hit 2017, but he's proved his ability to be consistent in a constantly-shifting Cardinals environment.

The more consistent infield option is still Jedd Gyorko, who has proved to be an insanely crafty presence in the lineup, giving another 90+-hit season, and playing some top-tier defensive infield. He's got one more year of St. Louis mayhem before being released onto the general public of the MLB, so expect either some tricky postseason stuff for the Cards, or...a midseason trade sending him to Atlanta or something.

 Michael Wacha missed a portion of the season due to injury, but after his return he was back to his old tricks, improving on his 2017 season with a 3.20 ERA, an 8-2 record, and some general dominance. He'll likely be relied upon quite a bit during the 2019 run.

If not for Harrison Bader and Jack Flaherty, Tyler O'Neill would be the team's most powerful rookie. He only finished with a .254 average, but his 1.5 WAR, his 23 RBIs and defensive versatility speak for itself. Guys like O'Neill make me feel like St. Louis is gonna continue their roster interchangeability of late. O'Neill, while primarily an outfielder, can also be used off the bench, and can be swapped with Bader, Gyorko and Paul DeJong, all multi-positional guys.

 Daniel Poncedeleon's story is a nice pick me up- he comes back a season after being hit in the head with a line drive, his first start in the bigs is a near no-hitter, with multiple strikeouts and a ton of promise. Poncedeleon's stuff varied from starting and relieving duties, but he was an intriguing extra arm to have in the pitching staff, and might have an even more impressive 2019.

 Matt Adams landed in St. Louis in September, after a nice year benching in Washington. He proceeded to shed all of his good bat mojo from DC, and return to the effeteness he displayed in St. Louis before being dealt to Atlanta. Hopefully he'll find his stuff again soon enough.

Of all people to hold the fort in the ninth this year....Bud Norris? Former Houston and Baltimore starter Bud Norris? Well...okay then! Norris had 28 saves in 32 opportunities, with a 3.60 ERA, which made for a nice comeback year for the man. He's a free agent now, so hopefully someone will take a chance on this man for the ninth...hell, maybe it'll be Boston.

Coming Tomorrow- They went from being in control of the division to watching the playoffs from the sidelines...in a week's time. That's the kind of luck that used to get fans of this team down.

Custom Card of the Day: Wainwright Edition

Adam Wainwright has been in the major leagues for ten years now, and in that time he's established himself as one of the most consistently awesome pitchers in baseball, and one of the most consistently snubbed pitchers as well, for having fantastic seasons the same year that Tim Lincecum, Roy Halladay and Clayton Kershaw has their extreme breakthroughs.

Stats-wise, he's already a legend in St. Louis- he's won 19 games 4 times, has three 200+ strikeout seasons, and has a career 3.06 ERA. The guy's won two World Series titles, one as a closer, and the other as...essentially an absentee.

The sucky part about Wainwright is, at least in the early part of his career, he'd get injured at the most inopportune times. He missed the entire 2011 season with injuries, costing him a chance to start for the World Series winning Cardinals, and he missed the 2015 season, costing them a chance to...well, get to the NLCS like usual.

Heck, he's been doing well enough in 2016, but hasn't gotten to his usual, earth-shattering levels, mainly due to his coming back from the DL. He's still fantastic, but he's not where he usually is by this point in the season, and, likewise, neither are the Cardinals.

Still, Wainwright's a pitcher you want on your team, and hopefully he'll have some terrific seasons in the future.

Coming Tonight- One of the guys who beat Wainwright to a Cy Young...only he's had a lot less good luck in the years since.

Uncustomed Heroes of Baseball: Cardinals (Part 2)

The guy above was THIIIIS close to getting a Cy Young award finally. But leave it to Kershaw to swoop in and get his third Cy, which was, in retrospect, a pretty good thing.

I firmly believe that if Adam Wainwright wasn't on the Cardinals, he wouldn't be an elite pitcher. So I hope the Cards never trade him.

What does this make, three closers in three seasons for St. Louis? Jason Motte, Edward Mujica and now Trevor Rosenthal? And now the first two are all but out of the league. So...great sign for Trevor Rosenthal. I kind of hope he has a nice season, so that he doesn't turn out like the other two.

I think I made this one a few days before he passed. Incredibly sad. I liked him. And I don't like too many Cardinals. I posted this one, but I want to post it again, because it's a great custom, for a great player.

Coming Tonight (?)- A few Cubs.

Custom Card of the Day: Wainwright Edition

The Cardinals are currently doing pretty well, though still trailing the Brewers for the NL Central. But honestly, the fact that the Cardinals are doing well isn't terribly surprising. I mean, it's supposed to happen, plausible or no, every season. It's a St. Louis law. So honestly, I'm not too shocked that Adam Wainwright is having another great season.

I mean, yeah, he had a few seasons where he was being sidelined for injuries, but then he stopped being Chris Carpenter 2.0, and started being a really good pitcher. And he had two or three really, really good seasons back there. And it was great, because last season they had the whole 'America's Pitching Rotation' thing, with Westbrook and Garcia trying to be good by being in the same SI cover as him.

Adam Wainwright is pitching well, which means he'll probably be one of the many pitchers that Mike Matheny will select for the All Star Game, because A.) He is his manager, and B.) They need some actual star power before half the pitching staff gets DQ'd due to pitching on the Sunday before.

Coming Tomorrow- One of the strongest arms in Philly's arsenal...not really doing too much this season...

Custom Card of the Day: Wainwright Edition

In case I haven't mentioned it already, I have a divine hatred for the St. Louis Cardinals.

Why? Well, I really don't know. I believe most of the backlash came from the 2011 season, when they overpowered my Phillies and stomped over everybody and got to the World Series. That was an infuriating team in that they shouldn't have won. It should have been the Braves getting one rung up and losing. The Cardinals snuck their way in there, and it pissed me off. It also pissed me off that they snuck into the NLCS this year. I mean, there's another infuriating team, winning the wild card, then getting past the Reds (or maybe it was the Nationals) to contend for a spot on the World Series.

Plus, one of my least favorite players, David Freese, is on that team. I don't know why I hate him either.

So, to pretend to support my spontaneously deep hatred for the Cardinals, I'm going to give my top 10 completely made up reasons I should have for hating the Cardinals.

10. The Cardinals are second only to the Yankees in terms of World Series appearances. Okay, that one's a real fact, but I'm putting it on here anyway.
9. Defeated the best team in baseball in the playoffs so many times that it's considered breaking the law.
8. Carlos Beltran killed 29 puppies during his tenure with the Mets. He's more than doubled that in his tenure with the Cardinals.
7. Caused the Spanish Inquisition.
6. Their closer is really just Fozzie Bear in a cheap disguise. And now he's injured. Wokka wokka.
5. The Warren Commission has revealed that Chris Carpenter's injury may not have been an accident, and may have been caused to keep the ace out of the picture for 2013.
4. Let the best player in baseball end up on a mediocre AL team.
3. Didn't follow through with fulfilling my wish to have David Freese run over by a tank.
 2. Hired extras from Lost as their infield, save for Rafael Furcal.
1. Those birds on all the caps? Yeah, those aren't drawings of birds.

(These are all fake. Please don't kill me, Fozzie.)

Coming Tomorrow- The Marlins are terrible. Here's their hot young star.

Custom Card of the Day: Wainwright Edition

 

Not many people will believe this, but this is my first Adam Wainwright custom. 

I know.

Of course, I haven't really had time to customize him, being that he's been injured all the time and all. The last few seasons, him and Chris Carpenter have played musical chairs with the DL and the rotation. What I think is that they wake up, call each other, and decide which one of them is getting hurt, and which one isn't. And the next season they rotate.

But still, he's attempting to bounce back. The Cardinals rotation is nothing special this year, but he's the little prize inside. Wainwright is a nice pitcher, and when he's healthy, he's really good. When he's injured...the team's screwed.

Hopefully, Adam will keep that arm healthy for a while.

Also, look at that throwback. That is an awesome one, and not the last you'll see this week.

Coming Tomorrow- The Artist Formerly Known as Tony Plush.