Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
If there is one thing that the St. Louis Cardinals have in spades it is pitching prospects. The team has been getting more attention from their farm system than their first pace baseball team this season.
The most recent rookie hurler to make the first start of his fantasy baseball career was SP Michael Wacha.
In his MLB debut last week, the 2011 first round pick threw an impressive seven innings on his way to his first career victory. He allowed just two hits in 4-2 win over the Kansas City Royals, including one earned run and zero walks. He also struck out six batters and induced a very impressive 10 groundouts.
In his second start, however, Wacha wasn’t as lucky. The rookie lasted just 4.2 innings against the Arizona Diamondbacks and gave up six earned runs on 10 hits. His fastball was about the same on the radar, but it was just missing the late movement on it that he had in his first outing.
Most young prospects struggle in their first couple outings, so dynasty league owners shouldn’t panic. The kid still utilized two above-average pitches and didn’t get flustered once he got into a jam. He also showed some real composure on the bump and looked much older than 21 years old.
Wacha is an extremely imposing figure up on the bump. He stands at a massive six-foot-six and his 210-pound frame helps him launch of the mound when throwing his fastball. His heater average 92.5 on the radar gun and the righty loves to just power it past batters.
Wacha may find it crowded in the rotation down the road with stars like Shelby Miller, Lance Lynn, Carlos Martinez, and Tyler Lyons already showing what they can do. However, Wacha has proven that he possess big league stuff and doesn’t seem to be going anywhere anytime soon.
Adam McGill is the Senior Fantasy Sports Writer at Rant Sports. Follow him on Twitter @adammcgill83, like him on Facebook, or add him to you networks on Google here or here.
