St. Louis Cardinals superstar Adam Wainwright has 16 seasons of experience under his belt at the MLB level, but he’s not done yet.
The veteran, who has spent his entire big-league career with the Cardinals, recently agreed to a deal with the team for 2022.
Wainwright is one of the greatest starting pitchers of his generation, and the day he retires, baseball won’t be the same.
But today is not that day.
Fans are going to be able to enjoy watching him pitch for at least one more year.
In celebration of that, we’re going to rank the 40-year-old’s three best seasons so far.
Let’s get started.
3. 2009 Season
In 2009, Wainwright established himself as an elite arm for the first time.
It was the fifth season of his MLB career, but it was his first outstanding campaign.
He posted a 2.63 ERA over 34 starts.
He complemented that mark with a 155 ERA+, 3.11 FIP, and 1.21 WHIP.
The former first-round pick led the league in wins with 19, which, of course, mattered a lot more back in 2009 than it does today.
He finished the year with a bWAR of 6.3
When all was said and done, Wainwright ended up in third place in the Cy Young race and 15th in the MVP race.
It was his first time receiving votes in either of those races.
2. 2010 Season
Wainwright’s 2010 campaign was his last before he underwent Tommy John surgery.
He didn’t pitch in 2011, but he left a great impression on fans in 2010.
Over 33 starts, he registered a 2.42 ERA, 160 ERA+, 2.86 FIP, and 1.05 WHIP.
The righty won 20 games for the first time in his career, which was a result of him pitching deep into games.
He tossed 230.1 total innings.
In those innings, he fanned 213 batters and walked just 56.
He posted a similar bWAR (6.2) to the one he had in the previous season, and he also had some similar finishes in the awards races (second in Cy Young voting and 17th in MVP voting) compared to where he landed the year before.
1. 2014 Season
You could make a case for several of Wainwright’s seasons to get this top spot.
The other two seasons on this list were certainly given consideration.
But all things considered, it seems like Wainwright’s 2014 campaign stands as his best so far.
For the third time in his career, he was named an All-Star in 2014, but that barely even scratches the surface of everything he accomplished throughout the season.
Over 32 outings, he posted a 2.38 ERA, which remains the best mark of his career today (excluding seasons in which he made just a few appearances).
He also had a 153 ERA+, 2.88 FIP, and 1.03 WHIP.
The Cardinals went 23-9 in Wainwright’s starts in 2014.
He put up another impressive bWAR of 6.1, which helps explain why he finished eighth in the MVP race and third in the Cy Young race.
It was an unforgettable year for the hurler.
He has had a lot of those, and if you disagree with the order of these rankings, that’s valid.
This list could justifiably look a few different ways.
But one thing is for sure: Wainwright is a Cardinals legend, and he’ll look to add to his legacy in 2022.
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