Michael Wacha, of course, was a compensation pick the St. Louis Cardinals got for losing first baseman Albert Pujols to free agency. The organization wasn’t shy about pushing the right-hander, either. Following his stint at Texas A&M, Wacha found himself at high-A Palm Beach. Two years later, he was in the big leagues to stay.
Sort of.
In 2014, the St. Louis Cardinals were completely perplexed by a shoulder injury, diagnosed as a scapular stress fracture, which limited him to just 19 starts. Wacha bounced back last season to make 30 starts for the St.