Wainwright showing he's learning
03/17/2006
JUPITER, Fla. -- If the last thing to come for a young pitcher is a feel for the game, Adam Wainwright is showing that he's closer than ever to being ready.
Wainwright was touched for two runs over four innings in his first start of the spring Thursday, but neither tally was earned, and the right-hander escaped some dangerous jams. Likely a long shot to crack the Cardinals rotation, Wainwright made the most of what may be his last stand.
After pitching Wainwright in relief for the first two weeks of the spring, the Cardinals tweaked their rotation in order to give him a start. He showed that if he is called upon during the season, he has a chance to be successful.
"I'm way more apt to get out of something I'm struggling with on the mound right now than I've ever been in my career," he said. "I think the years of tooling around in the Minors have helped me a lot. I've just got to move on from there."
Wainwright entered camp as the third horse in a three-way race to make the Cardinals rotation, with Sidney Ponson and Anthony Reyes seemingly ahead of him on the depth chart. He's pitched at least as well as the other two, if not better.
And it's as much mental as it is physical. When Wainwright first arrived in Jupiter two years ago as part of the trade that sent J.D. Drew to Atlanta, he was already considered possibly the organization's best prospect. His stuff was electric, his command solid.
Now he's putting all that together with other parts of the game. And when the going gets tough, he can get out of it.
"There's no doubt I'm more adept at that this year than I ever have been," he said. "I'm a much smarter pitcher on the mound. I'm watching things that I've never watched before when I'm not pitching.
"I used to just kind of sit around, and [Jeff Suppan] would give me a lot of trouble for it. I used to sit around and kind of fool around while the game was going on when I wasn't pitching. Now I'm trying to learn things when I'm not pitching."
Suppan has taken notice, and he approves of the progress of the 24-year-old.
"He came over in a trade, new lockerroom, and he was probably nervous and trying to figure his way around," said Suppan. "Now, having two full seasons, getting a chance to come up last year, I think he looks really good."
On Thursday, when Wainwright found himself in a situation that called for a groundball, he pounded his two-seam fastball down in the strike zone and got the worm-killer. That sinker is new to Wainwright as of last spring, and he's used it to his advantage.
But when he needs to throw it past someone, he can dial up a four-seamer that not only blazes, it moves as well.
"I think he's pitching with more confidence," said manager Tony La Russa. "He's got more experience and he's got more weapons when he goes out there. They all fit."
Source: http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com/
JUPITER, Fla. -- If the last thing to come for a young pitcher is a feel for the game, Adam Wainwright is showing that he's closer than ever to being ready.
Wainwright was touched for two runs over four innings in his first start of the spring Thursday, but neither tally was earned, and the right-hander escaped some dangerous jams. Likely a long shot to crack the Cardinals rotation, Wainwright made the most of what may be his last stand.
After pitching Wainwright in relief for the first two weeks of the spring, the Cardinals tweaked their rotation in order to give him a start. He showed that if he is called upon during the season, he has a chance to be successful.
"I'm way more apt to get out of something I'm struggling with on the mound right now than I've ever been in my career," he said. "I think the years of tooling around in the Minors have helped me a lot. I've just got to move on from there."
Wainwright entered camp as the third horse in a three-way race to make the Cardinals rotation, with Sidney Ponson and Anthony Reyes seemingly ahead of him on the depth chart. He's pitched at least as well as the other two, if not better.
And it's as much mental as it is physical. When Wainwright first arrived in Jupiter two years ago as part of the trade that sent J.D. Drew to Atlanta, he was already considered possibly the organization's best prospect. His stuff was electric, his command solid.
Now he's putting all that together with other parts of the game. And when the going gets tough, he can get out of it.
"There's no doubt I'm more adept at that this year than I ever have been," he said. "I'm a much smarter pitcher on the mound. I'm watching things that I've never watched before when I'm not pitching.
"I used to just kind of sit around, and [Jeff Suppan] would give me a lot of trouble for it. I used to sit around and kind of fool around while the game was going on when I wasn't pitching. Now I'm trying to learn things when I'm not pitching."
Suppan has taken notice, and he approves of the progress of the 24-year-old.
"He came over in a trade, new lockerroom, and he was probably nervous and trying to figure his way around," said Suppan. "Now, having two full seasons, getting a chance to come up last year, I think he looks really good."
On Thursday, when Wainwright found himself in a situation that called for a groundball, he pounded his two-seam fastball down in the strike zone and got the worm-killer. That sinker is new to Wainwright as of last spring, and he's used it to his advantage.
But when he needs to throw it past someone, he can dial up a four-seamer that not only blazes, it moves as well.
"I think he's pitching with more confidence," said manager Tony La Russa. "He's got more experience and he's got more weapons when he goes out there. They all fit."
Source: http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com/
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