St. Louis Cardinals: Preseason Roster Predictions Part 2

The area with the least amount of drama for the St. Louis Cardinals is the rotation.

Welcome back, Adam Wainwright. You know what’s cool about 2016? The return of a Bronco who has averaged 210 innings, 16 wins, and 177 strikeouts since he took the mound in the rotation back in 2007. When a team loses Lance Lynn and John Lackey and collects Wainwright and free agent everyman Mike Leake, you call that a win folks.

Mix in a third year guy like Michael Wacha who everybody thinks is going to tank, a young stallion like Carlos Martinez and the southpaw who carries the world on his shoulders in Jaime Garcia, and this group is electric. There’s craft, raw power and fluid age. Waino is 34 while El Gallo is just 24 years old age.

Right in the middle are Leake and Garcia. Something tells me this group won’t be record shattering as the 2015 crew but they will do very well and better than the Cubs and Pirates rotations. Great pitching still beats great hitting in the long run year after year.

While Wacha won’t be a Cy Young award winner anytime soon, I don’t think he is going implode or be bad. People expect too much from this kid. That 2013 postseason hero may never come back but this #3 starter will do just fine. Why does Wacha have to be “The Man”? It gets tiring hearing that when Waino and Martinez are better and more able pitchers. Let Wacha be a little more ordinary and he may please you.

Next: Conclusion: Breathe now, fans