Cardinals pitcher Michael Wacha had a pretty impressive run during his first stint in the majors last season. The 2012 first-round pick would go 4-1 with a 2.78 ERA and 1.10 WHIP in 15 regular-season appearances (nine starts) before going 4-1 with a 2.64 ERA and 0.91 WHIP in five postseason starts.
Wacha struck out 9.0 batters per nine innings during the regular season and struck out 9.7 batters per nine innings in the postseason. His strong performance impressed teammate Adam Wainwright, who finished second in the NL Cy Young race behind winner Clayton Kershaw.
"Michael, if he does what he did down the stretch and if he does that for a whole season, he's going to be in the Cy Young talks," Wainwright said Saturday at the annual Cardinals' Winter Warmup, per FOX Sports. "I think Michael may be one of the most talented pitchers I've seen. He's a guy who almost threw a no-hitter and then almost threw another no-hitter.
"I'm very, very impressed with his game. I'd like to see it through a whole season."