Three things Cardinal Nation will miss about Adam Wainwright after he retires

Adam Wainwright has finally reached the 200-win mark. However, with just 12 games remaining on the 2023 schedule, his time with the Cardinals is near its end. He'll have likely just two more starts before his retirement becomes official.

Obviously, he will be missed sorely by his teammates, fans, the Cardinals organization, and the City of St. Louis as a whole. Wainwright truly represents what it means to be a St. Louis Cardinal.

He has carried himself with class, humility, and dignity. He's been active in charitable causes and also has a great sense of humor. You also never hear of Wainwright getting into any trouble. He's always been a true ambassador of the game of baseball and has represented what a big-league player should strive to be.

Sadly, all good things must come to an end, and such can be said about Wainwright's legendary career. Though the 2023 season has not been kind to him, he has seemingly found his groove again and is pitching like the Wainwright of old with just a few weeks left in his career.

All Cardinals fans want at this point is for him to finish off his career on a high note before riding off into the sunset to join Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina in retirement.

There are many things that Cardinals fans are going to miss about Wainwright when his career finally does come to an end. In this piece, we will list three things that Cardinal Nation will miss about the veteran right-hander in the coming years.

His competitive spirit

No matter the circumstances, Wainwright always competed like a madman.

Whenever the Cardinals needed to stop a losing skid and get back into the win column, Wainwright was there to play to role of stopper.

In postseason games, he could always be relied on to go deep into the ballgame and give the Cardinals a chance to win. And he never wavered in big moments. He closed out the 2006 NLCS and World Series and became a postseason legend shortly thereafter, helping guide the Cardinals to two more National League Pennants and another World Series title.

Even with the Cardinals well out of contention this year, he's shown moments of brilliance and has given fans some truly memorable moments, including his 200th win.

Wainwright always thrived under pressure and was never one to shy away from big moments.

His kindness

Above everything else, Wainwright is truly a remarkable human being, on and off the field.

As mentioned previously, he has always carried himself with class and grace. But he has also been gracious with the media and fans throughout his career. Beyond even that, he donated his time to charitable causes, most notably with his non-profit organization known as "Big-League Impact."

Each year, Wainwright invites fans, teammates, and fellow players alike to join Big League Impact's Fantasy Football League to make a difference in not just the St. Louis community, but throughout the world.

Some of his charitable projects even include water projects and providing basic needs to people living in poverty around the world.