MLB Player News

Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright was named the team's starter for opening day, manager Mike Matheny announced Friday. Wainwright, who is entering his second full season after Tommy John surgery wiped out his entire 2011 campaign, will take the hill April 1 at Arizona. He is carrying a 3.48 ERA and a stellar strikeout-to-walk ratio of 10-to-1 over three starts this spring (10 1/3 innings).

Cardinals pitcher prospect Michael Wacha is quickly moving up my rankings as a long-term Fantasy keeper. 

Wacha, who was reassigned to minor-league camp Thursday, turned in a stellar spring, going 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA and 0.69 WHIP in five spring outings. He also had one save and 15 strikeouts in 11 2/3 innings. 

The 2012 first-round pick didn't get a ton of work last season after signing, but he was as impressive in 21 innings as he has been this spring. Wacha had a 0.86 ERA and 0.57 WHIP between three levels in the minors (Rookie, high Class A, Double-A). He also averaged 17.1 strikeouts per nine innings. 

Wacha's mid-90s fastball is his best pitch, but his changeup is becoming a reliable secondary pitch. He needs to fine tune his slider and curveball, but Wacha is having little problem getting out hitters, whether he is starting or pitching in relief.

Wacha is headed back to the minors to work as a starter, but it might not be surprising if he makes his MLB debut this summer as a reliever. Wacha pitched in college, so he's ahead of high-school draftees, which is allowing his rapid progression through the minors.

He's probably not worth drafting in seasonal Fantasy formats, but here's a player whose value is certainly on the rise in keeper formats.

The Cardinals reassigned pitching prospect Michael Wacha to minor-league camp Thursday. Wacha, who is considered a top-100 prospect by Baseball America (No. 76) and MLB.com (No. 83), was 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA and 0.69 WHIP in five spring outings. He also had one save and 15 strikeouts in 11 2/3 innings. 

"It was unbelievable," Wacha told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch of his big-league camp experience. "I wasn't expecting to get any (appearances). I looked at every one as an opportunity. I hope I opened some eyes. I'm still going to keep doing what I have been doing. I hope I'm not down there for too long."

The Phillies announced Thursday that pitcher Cole Hamels will start opening day, April 1, at Atlanta. Hamels is 2-0 with a 0.90 ERA and 0.70 WHIP in three spring starts (10 innings).

Last year, Cole Hamels had a 3.05 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 9.0 strikeouts per nine innings in 31 starts. Meanwhile, Madison Bumgarner had a 2.83 ERA, 0.99 ERA and 8.4 strikeouts in 25 starts. Unfortunately, they weren't his only 25 starts. A rough patch late in the year inflated his numbers to what they ultimately were. The Giants determined a mechanical flaw was the cause, and they fixed it in time for the World Series, when he two-hit the Tigers over seven innings. I don't know about you, but that little bedtime story leads me to believe the real Bumgarner is the one we saw over those first 25 starts, which would suggest he's at least as good as Cole Hamels. And yet he's going two rounds later, on average, in both Head-to-Head and Rotisserie.

After a rocky start to spring training in which he allowed 27 runs in his first 13 innings, Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw was back in form in his last outing on the mound, limiting the Rockies to two hits in five innings. While most pitchers downplay spring struggles, Kershaw admitted during that rough patch that he's not getting the results he's wants, which may have scared off a few early drafters. Their loss. Unless you hear of Kershaw's velocity being down or his elbow or shoulder aching, you should assume any spring struggles are just a case of him building up to midseason form.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports Braves pitcher prospect Alex Wood was reassigned to minor-league camp Thursday. Wood allowed one unearned run in five innings this spring. He also struck out three.

Wood, who is considered a top 10 prospect in the Braves' system by Baseball America (seventh) and MLB.com (sixth), went 4-3 with a 2.22 ERA and 1.01 WHIP in 13 starts for Class A Rome last season. He was a second-round draft pick in 2012.

Despite earlier reports, Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said Thursday starting pitcher Zack Greinke (elbow) won't be able to throw a bullpen session until next week. It was first reported Greinke would throw Friday. Greinke is only scheduled to play catch Friday.

CBSSports.com Baseball Insider Jon Heyman reports Braves prospect Julio Teheran will open the season as the team's fifth starter. Teheran is 1-1 with a 1.29 ERA and 0.57 WHIP through four spring starts. He also has struck out 18 batters and walked just four in 14 innings. MLB.com ranks Teheran as the 31st-best prospect in baseball, while Baseball America has him as No. 44.

MLB.com reports Dodgers starting pitcher Zack Greinke, who has been shut down because of inflammation in the back of his right elbow, is slated to throw a bullpen session Friday. He was originally scheduled to throw Thursday before being bumped back a day.