Michael Wacha for the Stretch and for ’14
By Will Meadows
The Cardinals will have as much fantasy talent as any team in baseball in 2013.
Photo by Keith Allison
Michael Wacha is the latest outstanding St. Louis Cardinal pitcher to come out of their farm system. He has been on a fast track to St. Louis ever since he was selected 19th overall in the 2012 MLB Draft out of Texas A&M.
He should also be on your draft list for next season. The reason I rate him so highly is where he is likely to be drafted next season. You will see him drafted in the late rounds of next year’s fantasy league drafts and that is where you can take advantage of other owner’s lack of knowledge of the young right-hander.
You will watch Shelby Miller, Julio Tehran and Gerrit Cole taken off of the 2014 draft board early and often in all draft formats. You can sit back and watch Michael Wacha drop to the late rounds of drafts. Of course, everyone would love to have Shelby Miller on their team for next season but he will come at a high price. Michael Wacha can fill your fourth or fifth pitcher’s position and you will get him at a very steep discount.
Upside
Does he have the upside of Shelby Miller or ace potential like Adam Wainwright? The answer would be a resounding no! What you get from Michael Wacha, is the upside to be a number two or an outstanding number three pitcher in the Cardinals rotation as he matures. He doesn’t have that “wow” factor like stable mates Miller and Wainwright. He is very reminiscent of Alex Cobb from Tampa Bay. A player who is not great but does everything extremely well and is one of the most underrated pitchers in baseball.
Over his last 19 2/3 innings Michael Wacha hasn’t given up a run. This includes the Pittsburgh Pirates last Sunday where he threw a two-hitter against a team that leads a very tight wild-card race in the National League.
He is currently 3-0 with a 2.72 ERA for St. Louis. His ERA is similar to what he posted at AAA Memphis this season. Hitters are hitting .206 against him and have only managed a .250 BABIP against him. He posts very good strike out rates where he currently sits at 8.16 K/9 thanks to a mid-90’s fastball. His change up is also outstanding which complements his curve and slider.
Run Support
Another major factor in selecting Cardinal pitchers in general is the St. Louis offense is one of the run scoring powerhouses in baseball. They currently lead the National League in runs scored and on-base percentage. I see much of the same next season and it doesn’t hurt that you will see Oscar Taveras make his Cardinal debut that can only boost the St. Louis offense even more.
If you are in a streaming situation this week, Michael Wacha will pitch Saturday in a matchup at home against the Seattle Mariners. This is an excellent matchup to start him and continue to ride him for the rest of the season.