West Newsmagazine 3-21-18

WESTNEWSMAGAZINE.COM
By WARREN MAYES
MARCH 21, 2018
CARDINALS SALUTE 2018 39
WEST NEWSMAGAZINE
Brought to you by the letter ‘W’ –
Wacha, Weaver and wins
The “W” boys – Michael Wacha and
Luke Weaver – will be key figures in the
pitching staff this season for the St. Louis
Cardinals.
The 6-foot-6, 215-pound Wacha, 26,
enters this season as the Cardinals No. 2
starter. Last season, he went 12-9 with a
4.13 ERA. He threw 165 2/3 innings, his
most since he threw 181 1/3 in 2015.
“I was confident going into last season,”
Wacha said. “I had a full season where I felt
strong and made all my starts. That adds to
the confidence going into this season. I can’t
ask for much more. I’ve been getting a lot of
good workouts in. I’m ready for 2018.”
The key for Wacha was, and is, remaining
healthy.
“My goals for this season are to be
healthy again and make as many starts as
I can,” Wacha said. He would like to be a
pitcher who can go deep into games. If he
can do that, he can reach 200 innings in a
season. But Wacha is not going to put any
numbers out there for himself.
“I’m trying to go out there and go as long
as I can,” Wacha said. “I’m just trying to
do the best I can and make all the starts I
can and go as deep into a game as I can and
be as effective as possible. Try not to wear
out the bullpen too much.”
He said there are several ways to be able
to pitch seven or eight innings or even have
a complete game. “Attacking the strike
zone more often, getting early outs, there’s
a lot of different ways to go deeper into a
game. It’s a tough job. I’m working on it.”
The same goes for Weaver. He would
like to log more innings.
Weaver, 24, went 7-2 as a rookie in 2017
and impressed many with his ability. He
posted a 3.88 ERA and 72/17 K/BB ratio
Luke Weaver
Michael Wacha
in 60 1/3 innings over 10 starts and three
relief appearances in the majors last season.
“Yeah, there’s a lot to build off that,”
Weaver said. “Even in the bad outings, just
knowing how to take that after some good
ones and just jumping back on that horse
and keep going. There’s a lot to learn from
last year.”
There’s going to be more of Weaver to
like this season, too. He went into spring
training weighing 184 pounds.
“The coaches wanted me to put on some
pounds,” Weaver said. “It doesn’t come
very easy for me [but] I’ve been able to
gain 10 to 15 pounds. Hopefully, that will
add some durability and some endurance.
Who knows? I feel like I’m in the best
shape ever. I’m stronger and quicker. As a
whole, I’m excited.”
Gaining weight can be tough for a slim
person. Weaver sought help to achieve his
goal. Now, he’s in the weight room trying
to stay strong.
He has never thrown more than 138
innings in a season before, but he’ll be
facing some big expectations in his first
full season in the Cardinals rotation. But
his expectations are the same. “I don’t ever
want to get complacent,” Weaver said. “I
just want to go in with a lot of confidence
and know I still have to make an impact
on the coaches and let them know they’ve
made a good choice to have me in there.”
Wacha wants to put all he has learned
into the upcoming season.
“The knowledge of the game and my
repertoire, I would definitely say I’m a
better pitcher now,” Wacha said. “I know
more about the game. I know more about
hitters’ tendencies. I have so much more
knowledge. I’d definitely say I’m a better
pitcher now.”