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After running out a hard ground ball against the Milwaukee Brewers, the ace of the St. Louis Cardinals, Adam Wainwright, came up lame with an apparent leg injury. It didn’t seem very serious at first, but now we know that he tore his Achilles and is out for the remainder of the season.
For most teams, an injury this devastating would set them back and could even instantly push them out of playoff contention. However, the Cardinals have so much young pitching talent that they may not skip a beat even without Wainwright.
The young pitcher likely to be called up to join the rotation is lefty Marco Gonzales, who was drafted in the first round of the 2013 draft out of Gonzaga. He has one of the best changeups in baseball and if his other pitches are good enough around it, he could really develop into a superstar.
Obviously, losing a pitcher like Wainwright for the season is going to hurt a little bit, but for the Cardinals, it won’t hurt nearly as much. They are also a veteran team that has been through plenty of adversity before and have come out clean on the other side.
Overcoming this injury comes down to the fact that the Cardinals know how to win when it matters most. That, above everything, will keep them right in the divisional race even without Wainwright.
Additionally, Wainwright’s presence will still be in the locker room and dugout, which is huge. He’s a team leader and even though he can’t contribute on the field, his leadership will still go a long way. So while it certainly hurts to lose an ace and a beloved player from a franchise, Cardinals fans need not panic.
With plenty of other options and player development unmatched in the game, they should be just fine.
