How much more does Wainwright need to do to make the Hall of Fame in your eyes? Central Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto headlines the list of players in the National League West who are on track to have a chance to make it into baseball's Hall of Fame. Ive lost track. For relievers, Im using the WAR-and-WPA hybrid stat via which Ive examined recent candidates such as Mariano Rivera, Trevor Hoffman, and Billy Wagner. An Alternate Hall of Fame populated by a mathematical formula. 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. Were not concerned. 2/4/18 Super Bowl champs. Your email address will not be published. The just-turned-40-year-old is currently in the midst of a late-career renaissance (2.97 ERA, 3.1 WAR), leaving many to wonder. But the Cardinals and the pitcher Cardinals changed the schedule for his first start; Flaherty threw on the backfields instead. Astros @ Cardinals. Leg and glute stiffness that limited his leg drive, the aftereffect of recent back spasms, and a torn finger blister. 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. Adam Wainwright is going to have such an interesting Hall of Fame case once he retires. No Cy's (albeit 4 top 3 finishes). The best pitcher in MLB? Always ranking QBs. The wins, strikeouts, ERA and innings were his best since 2014, which appeared to be the last full year of his peak. And hes no slouch in the regular season Bumgarner is a four-time All-Star with a sub-3.00 career ERA, a high career strikeout rate, and hes even connected for 16 home runs at the plate. 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. Decade-plus Eagles writer. 55 votes, 66 comments. For starters, no pitcher can stay that good for that long. As a result, Ive chosen not to include him on this article. In his final inning, Wainwright didnt touch higher than 85 mph. But its just not going to happen anymore the way pitchers are used now and the way free agency is and (how) careers go. He surpassed 200 wins in 2019 (hes at 219 now), but with his strikeout rate dipping from 24.5% last year to 17.0% this year, hes still 201 strikeouts away from 3,000 and will probably need two seasons to reach the milestone instead of one. However, their overall record forced the Cards to play a Wild Card series against Bryce Harper and the Philadelphia Phillies. Even 250 wins is a rare accomplishment at this point. Adam Wainwright is not a Hall of Famer yet. They cited various ailments that impacted Wainos performance. Wainos going to do that whether hes here or not, and thats a trust thing that Im not concerned with.. He threw two no-hitters in the same season and tied the major league record with 20 strikeouts in a nine-inning game. Alas, just before the All-Star break, the 33-year-old southpaw landed on the injured list due to inflammation in his left forearm and hasnt even gotten to the point of a rehab stint yet after suffering a setback in late July. Pitching to a 3.66 ERA and 4.45 FIP, hes produced a respectable 2.2 WAR, though hes still 0.6 points below the JAWS standard. Only Clemens, Johnson, Carlton and Greg Maddux are the only pitchers who have won more. Since then, hes made the All-Star team every year, led the league in wins on three occasions, and won a Cy Young award in each league. He was hit hard four balls hit off him registered exit velocities higher than 104 mph, including a 112.1 mph solo moonshot of a homer off the bat of Jos Abreu. Gibson, who died last October, finished with 3,117. {* backButton *} Before going down, he made solid progress towards the 200-win and 3,000 strikeout milestones; hes at 184 and 2,653, respectively, the latter thanks to a 30.1% strikeout rate, his best since 2016. But even if we throw 2020 out, Flaherty averaged only 57 innings of work over the last two years. St. Louis Cardinals analyst Brad Thompson joins Blair and Barker to talk about whether Adam Wainwright deserves a nod into the Baseball Hall of Fame, stating you can make the case for the veteran pitcher although hes not a sure-fire candidate yet. 9 mo. . The greatest lineups ever? All major league baseball data including pitch type, velocity, batted ball location, Dont hold your breath. Adam Wainwright (44.0 career | 35.5 Peak | 39.8 JAWS, +2.1 JAWS). While best known for his voice as the lead sports columnist at the Post-Dispatch for 26 years, Bernie has also written for The Athletic, Dallas Morning News and Baltimore News American. Adam Wainwright is the greatest St. Louis Cardinals pitcher since Bob Gibson, and arguably the greatest St. Louis Cardinals pitcher in history other than Bob Gibson. 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. Jim Bowden (The Athletic) was at Cardinal camp earlier this week and asked president of baseball operations John Mozeliak about Flahertys status. 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). . Given the way hes been pitching as of late, thats certainly not farfetched. For the last 35 years Bernie Miklasz has entertained, enlightened, and connected with generations of St. Louis sports fans. Drew. {* traditionalSignIn_signInButton *}, Comment and participate in our online community. Madison Bumgarner is still just 27 years old, but hes already etched his name into baseball lore as one of the greatest big-game pitchers of all-time. That being said, the question I had is what a retirement for Adam Wainwright . St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright joins Scott Braun, Erik Kratz, Todd Frazier, and AJ Pierzynski to talk about his final season and the legacy he's left behind. Hes produced 5.0 WAR with his pitching but -0.6 WAR with his hitting with a remarkable .000/.000/.000 line taking this no-hitter thing a bit too literally through 50 PA; on Wednesday night, he surpassed Wei-Yin Chens record for season-opening futility, set in 2016. Even though three different physical problems were cited to explain Wainwrights plummeting velocity and ineffective pitching? Wainwright is a Hall of Fame person, and a very good pitcher. 2000-2023 Rogers Media. Well know more about Jacks Comeback after he makes his first two or three pitching appearances in the Florida game. He is known for being a Baseball Player. Flaherty is calm. Press Box: Wainwright to decide if he can continue to beat foes as well Even if he retired now, Verlander has likely done enough to ensure a plaque in Cooperstown. Hes certainly on pace for the Hall, but a lot of it will depend on how he can rebound following his off-the-field motorcycle accident. What would Adam Wainwright need to do in 2022 to deserve Hall of Fame Even so, five catchers including the younger and still-productive Buster Posey outrank him in the framing-inclusive version of my metric, and with an 80 wRC+ and 0.7 fWAR this year, plus plans to retire after 2022, he might not even catch Russell Martin (49.1) or Joe Mauer (49.3) in the rankings. After doing some [strength] assessments, its something he can solve. Will this happen? Chris Sale keeps getting better with age, and with the way hes ben mowing down hitters in a 2017 free agent year, hes going to earn a lucrative $200 million deal in the offseason. Hes endured shoulder miseries and a strained oblique. Adam's parents had a rocky marriage, and they split up when he was around seven years old. His 2.2 WAR, meanwhile, edged him closer to the career standard (73.3). As noted above, for the past few election cycles, Ive turned away from reliever JAWS in favor of a hybrid metric using WAR, WPA, and WPA/LI. I suppose well get an update after Wainwright returns to camp after competing for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic. In the five innings Wainwright yielded eight hits and four earned runs for a 7.20 ERA. Terms of Service. But if it wasn't for . Paul Goldschmidt, first base (49.1 career | 40.6 Peak | 44.9 JAWS, +2.2 JAWS). While a Cy Young Award does not guarantee entry, it certainly helps. Aroldis Chapman (18.5 WAR | 19.9 WPA | 12.0 WPA/LI | 16.8 R-JAWS, +0.6 R-JAWS). Wainwright was a three time All Star and two time Gold Glove winner, finishing in the top three of the NL Cy Young vote four times. Still, Hernandez has quite a resume over the last decade hes been named to six All-Star teams, won 156 games for a perennially-losing franchise that hasnt sniffed the postseason, and hes won a Cy Young award to go with multiple ERA titles. 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. Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright reaches 2,000 career strikeouts The 40-year-old right-hander became the ninth active pitcher with 2,000. Adam Wainwright 141-80, 3.23 ERA, 1,547 strikeouts, 124 adjusted ERA 3x All-Star, 2 Gold Gloves, 2 rings Injuries have plagued Adam Wainwright more than the other pitchers on this list; he's going to be 36 in a few months and he's logged just 1,800 innings due to Tommy John surgery (2011) and an Achilles tendon rupture (2015). Required fields are marked *. If hes still got the stuff and durability to get to 3,000, the rest of the numbers might fall into place. As if on schedule, we have our first spring-training round of Is Anything Wrong? with the pitcher. 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. Laurie Skrivan, St, Louis Post-Dispatch Here's a look at some other top Cardinals not in the Hall of Fame. The oldest and wisest twin. While these numbers are impressive, they may not be enough to convince voters that Adam Wainwright is a Hall of Famer. Opinion | Is Wainright a hall of famer? | ksdk.com Adam Wainwright Congratulates Former Teammate On HOF If this is the end, Wainwright is leaving behind a solid career. Wainwright attributed the late 2022 freefall to a hitch in his delivery after hed been struck on the knee by a batted ball. While he has never won a Cy Young Award, he was in the top 3 on four occasions. Your email address will not be published. St. Louis Cardinals: Bad luck, bad timing hurt Wainwright's pedigree However, the future Cardinals Hall of Famer is coming off a 2022 season in which he lost velocity, suffered a decline in swing . Has Adam Wainwright done enough to deserve a place in the Hall of Fame? Adam Wainwright is the quintessential "Hall of Fame candidate for Cardinals fans" Hall of Fame candidate of the current team. Enter your email address to get a new one. St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright joins Scott Braun, Erik Kratz, Todd Frazier, and AJ Pierzynski to talk about his final season and the legacy he's. Listen to the Seeing Red podcast on the Cardinals, featuring Will Leitch and Miklasz. I am a big fan, not as a universal absolute but as a general guideline, of the Jay Jaffe JAWS system, a thing I have mentioned repeatedly in my writing, though I also prefer to use a hybrid model which incorporates a players career performance and his seven best individual seasons (his peak) as measured not only by Baseball Reference but by FanGraphs (in most non-catcher cases, over the course of a career, this doesnt make a huge difference, but in the most discussed cases, the margins are so thin that I am happy to look at as much data as possible). Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer just had seasons that good in 2018. Winnowing the 180/2,000/3.40/350/2,300 field down to just wild card-era pitchers makes for an even more exclusive group: Wainwright, Scherzer, Verlander, Kershaw, Clemens plus Hall of Famers Greg Maddux, Randy Johnson, Roy Halladay and Pedro Martinez. It is possible that the same will be the case for a third Cardinals legend. Yadier Molina's Hall of Fame case is perplexing, but here's why the Look at that. Cardinals' Adam Wainwright reaches 2,000 strikeouts What's the Dodgers' plan at shortstop? 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. Adam Wainwright Hall of Fame. This may not seem particularly grandiose, and probably not even close to Cooperstown worthiness, but it should be noted that with sixty-five elected, starting pitcher is far and away the most commonly enshrined position in the Hall (it has also, pre-bullpen expansion, been the most common position, so this shouldnt be too surprising). (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images), Wainwright strongly hinted he would retire alongside longtime batterymate Yadier Molina following next season. Watch: Cardinals honor Albert Pujols, Adam Wainwright and - FanSided Adam Wainwright. He made his 55 million dollar fortune with All-Star, St. Louis Cardinals, NL wins leader. I wouldnt expect Wainwright to be at his best at this stage. Between that, his three Cy Youngs, and eight All-Star appearances, hes probably punched his ticket even before getting to 200 wins (hes at 187). No ones winning 300 games again, probably, Maybe there will be a couple guys that have a chance Claytons got a chance, Max maybe. But Wainwright still had good value because he supplied 192 innings. Adam Wainwright, however, is a little bit trickier. 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 try to stay out of it as much as possible.. 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. Cy Young awards, no-hitters, and ERA titles may be better methods for evaluating the 21st century pitcher than the sheer outdated statistic of wins.. How Corbin Burnes became an ace by making his bed, Top moments from Brady, Manning, Jordan and other athletes hosting 'Saturday Night Live', Fantasy baseball rankings, projections, strategy and cheat sheets, Spring batting averages, runs up amid shift limits. Wainwright is a Hall of Fame person, and a very good pitcher. 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. Just to be clear, its not an injury deal; its about him not syncing his body up correctly, and he didnt feel like he was getting the leg drive he typically gets, Cardinals manager Oli Marmol said. PITTSBURGH, PA - AUGUST 28: Adam Wainwright #50 of, the St. Louis Cardinals applauds after a defensive play by Nolan Arenado #28 in the first inning during the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park on August 28, 2021 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Write some stories about it! Wainwright said. 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. Zack Greinke has had an interesting career. He went 119-66 with a 2.96 ERA from 2007-15, a span in which only Kershaw had a lower ERA among pitchers with at least 1,000 innings pitched. This year he was so good that he accrued 5.1 WAR (including 0.6 on the offensive side) in his 15 starts before going down, his fourth-highest total. The baseball player is married to Jenny Curry, his starsign is Virgo and he is now 41 years of age. Max Scherzer, already on the Cooperstown fast track before he was traded by the Nationals to the Dodgers at the trade deadline, continued his march towards inner-circle status by authoring a dominant post-acquisition stretch for his new team (7-0 with a 1.98 in 11 starts for the Dodgers, who won each of his outings) on par with Doyle Alexander in 1987, Randy Johnson in 1998 and CC Sabathia in 2008. Adam Wainwright is one of the more curious pitchers in baseball, and a recent thread raised a couple questions to me. The 35-year-old has a career record of 169-89 with a 3.19 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 2,682 strikeouts. Mike Trout, center field (76.2 career | 65.1 Peak | 70.6 JAWS, +0.5 JAWS). That's an average of 174 innings per year. His contract (seven years, $175 million) ensures he will pitch in Seattle at least through 2019, but his velocity numbers and declining ERA suggest his career may be on the downside. He went 17-7 with 174 strikeouts and a 3.05 ERA in 32 starts spanning 206 1/3 innings the third-highest total in the majors. 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.