Sure, it seemed like typical spring training bluster from a veteran with a reputation for being a good teammate. Back in late March when Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright stumped for his teammate Miles Mikolas as a Cy Young candidate, it sounded like a noble gesture based more on hope than reality.
While Mikolas’ recent run of success hasn’t risen to the level of preemptively engraving his name on the 2023 trophy, the substance of Wainwright’s reasoning has rung true in Mikolas’ performances over the past five weeks.
“I really thinks he’s going to be a top-five finisher this year in the Cy Young,” Wainwright said in March standing outside the Cardinals’ spring training facility in Jupiter, Florida.