Michael Wacha
P | Bats/Throws: R/R | 6' 6" 215LBS | Age: 33
Draft: 2012 | Rd: 1, #19, St. Louis Cardinals | Texas A&M
W L ERA G GS SV IP SO WHIP
2022 11 2 3.32 23 23 0 127.1 104 1.12
2023 14 4 3.22 24 24 0 134.1 124 1.16
2024 13 8 3.35 29 29 0 166.2 145 1.19
12 Seasons 101 62 3.89 278 257 0 1,454.2 1,290 1.28
G W-L ERA IP SO WHIP
2022 23 11-2 3.32 127.1 104 1.12
2023 24 14-4 3.22 134.1 124 1.16
2024 29 13-8 3.35 166.2 145 1.19
12 Seasons 278 101-62 3.89 1,454.2 1,290 1.28
MLB Percentile Rankings
Movement Profile (Induced Break)
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Statcast Statistics

Season Age Pitches Batted
Balls
Barrels Barrel % Barrel/PA Exit
Velocity
Max EV Launch
Angle
LA Sweet-
Spot %
XBA XSLG WOBA XWOBA XWOBACON HardHit% K% BB% ERA xERA
2015 23 2937 545 26 4.8 3.4 87.6 113.6 10.4 28.8 .240 .374 .294 .301 .346 33.4 20.1 7.6 3.38 3.74
2016 24 2324 446 27 6.1 4.5 88.1 116.3 8.9 37.0 .265 .425 .339 .318 .367 34.1 18.8 7.4 5.09 4.28
2017 25 2690 485 27 5.6 3.9 87.2 111.7 9.8 32.4 .250 .391 .316 .305 .361 30.1 22.5 7.8 4.13 3.98
2018 26 1419 246 19 7.7 5.4 89.0 112.5 9.2 36.2 .275 .444 .286 .348 .396 37.0 20.0 10.1 3.20 5.26
2019 27 2199 400 31 7.8 5.5 88.2 113.7 9.7 35.5 .276 .490 .360 .356 .405 35.5 18.5 9.6 4.76 5.77
2020 28 609 110 9 8.2 5.8 87.9 108.9 15.2 38.2 .258 .456 .398 .326 .405 43.6 23.7 4.5 6.62 4.54
2021 29 1974 372 39 10.5 7.4 89.9 118.6 13.3 39.8 .282 .499 .334 .355 .439 43.0 22.9 5.9 5.05 5.51
2022 30 1949 376 36 9.6 7.0 88.2 112.7 12.8 35.4 .254 .446 .301 .329 .387 35.4 20.2 6.0 3.32 4.56
2023 31 2221 383 28 7.3 5.1 88.1 114.6 18.5 38.6 .250 .421 .291 .318 .376 35.5 22.4 7.8 3.22 4.27
2024 32 2602 489 40 8.2 5.8 86.9 117.5 15.7 32.7 .252 .405 .300 .311 .365 32.5 21.2 6.6 3.35 4.05
Player 20924 3852 282 7.3 5.2 88.0 118.6 12.2 34.8 .259 .429 .316 .324 .380 35.0 20.9 7.5
MLB 7.0 4.8 88.5 122.4 12.3 33.2 .245 .405 .316 .315 .368 36.5 22.2 8.4
! Note: All figures in this table cover the period 2015-present.

Statcast Pitch Arsenal

Wacha relies on 6 pitches.
Changeup
(32.2%) ,
Four Seamer
(23.8%) ,
Sinker
(15.3%) ,
Cutter
(11.4%) ,
Slider
(9.2%) ,
Curveball
(8.1%) ,


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+ If Available Pitches Click to Video.


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Pitch Tracking



Batted Ball Profile

Season GB % FB % LD % PU % Pull % Straight % Oppo % Weak % Topped % Under % Flare/Burner % Solid % Barrel % Barrel/PA
2015 47.5 20.6 24.8 7.2 31.2 37.4 31.4 4.6 36.1 20.6 22.8 5.1 4.8 3.4
2016 48.4 16.4 30.0 5.2 37.2 35.9 26.9 3.4 37.4 20.9 24.9 5.6 6.1 4.5
2017 50.1 19.6 24.7 5.6 37.7 34.6 27.6 4.5 36.7 22.9 24.5 3.9 5.6 3.9
2018 46.7 20.3 28.5 4.5 44.7 32.5 21.1 4.5 32.1 19.1 30.1 6.1 7.7 5.4
2019 49.5 21.0 24.0 5.5 42.0 32.8 25.3 2.3 38.0 21.0 25.0 4.5 7.8 5.5
2020 39.1 29.1 26.4 5.5 40.0 35.5 24.5 9.1 26.4 25.5 22.7 8.2 8.2 5.8
2021 42.5 25.8 25.0 6.7 37.6 35.2 27.2 3.2 29.0 20.7 29.6 6.5 10.5 7.4
2022 41.2 22.3 26.1 10.4 40.2 37.0 22.9 3.5 31.4 26.9 21.5 5.9 9.6 7.0
2023 35.2 31.3 24.8 8.6 48.3 34.5 17.2 2.9 25.1 31.3 25.1 8.1 7.3 5.1
2024 39.9 26.8 23.5 9.8 41.1 32.7 26.2 5.7 27.6 28.2 25.8 4.1 8.2 5.8
Player 44.6 22.8 25.6 7.1 39.4 34.9 25.6 4.0 32.7 23.7 25.1 5.5 7.3 5.2
MLB 44.4 23.8 24.7 7.1 37.2 37.5 25.2 3.9 32.6 24.8 24.4 5.9 7.0 4.8
! Note: All figures in this table cover the period 2015-present.

Pitch Movement


How this works: This section shows two different ways to evaluate pitch movement. On the left, “Total Movement” shows the real-world movement of a pitch, including the forces of gravity, which affects every pitch thrown. Since gravity requires time, and slower pitches aren't 'better' just because they have more time to move, a pitch's movement is compared to other pitches of the same pitch type, within +/- 2 MPH and +/- 0.5 feet of extension/release. On the right, Induced Movement (or IVB) is reported without gravity, and attempts to isolate movement created by the pitcher's ability to spin and manipulate the ball.
Total Movement (in inches, w/ gravity)Induced Movement (in inches, w/o gravity)
YearPitchTeamHand#MPHVertical
Drop
vs.
Comparable
Horizontal
Break
vs.
Comparable
Vertical
Break
vs. AvgHorizontal
Break
vs. Avg
2024 Cutter KC R 296 88.8 24.3 2.8 1.2GLV -2.4 10.2 1.9 1.2GLV -1.5
2024 Slider KC R 240 84.1 37.1 -0.5 2.7GLV -2.0 1.4 0.2 2.7GLV -2.4
2024 Curveball KC R 212 75.2 60.8 0.5 12.3GLV 3.8 -12.0 2.1 12.3GLV 2.9
2024 Changeup KC R 839 81.2 36.2 3.4 13.0ARM 0.2 5.4 -0.5 13.0ARM -1.2
2024 4-Seam Fastball KC R 618 93.6 13.3 0.9 6.6ARM 0.6 17.9 2.1 6.6ARM -0.9
2024 Sinker KC R 397 93.6 16.7 -4.3 12.9ARM -1.2 14.5 -7.2 12.9ARM -1.9
2023 Changeup SD R 765 81.6 31.9 0.6 14.0ARM 1.2 9.5 -4.1 14.0ARM -0.4
2023 Cutter SD R 272 87.0 25.1 4.7 0.7GLV -3.2 11.0 3.1 0.7GLV -1.9
2023 Sinker SD R 293 91.9 17.4 -4.8 14.3ARM -0.3 15.1 -7.5 14.3ARM -0.7
2023 4-Seam Fastball SD R 641 92.0 13.8 1.3 7.3ARM 2.0 18.6 2.8 7.3ARM -0.1
2023 Slider SD R 4 84.3 30.3 -6.9 1.6GLV -2.9 8.3 -6.8 1.6GLV -3.7
2023 Curveball SD R 245 74.0 62.7 -0.9 12.0GLV 2.6 -12.0 2.1 12.0GLV 3.1
! Note: Years are in reverse order.

Run Values by Pitch Type

Year Pitch Type Team RV/100 Run Value Pitches % PA BA SLG wOBA Whiff% K% PutAway % xBA xSLG xwOBA Hard Hit %
2024 Changeup 2.0 17 839 32.2 246 .169 .312 .224 34.1 31.7 21.8 .175 .307 .228 26.1
2024 4-Seam Fastball 0.2 1 618 23.8 152 .279 .449 .354 16.9 18.4 16.9 .300 .488 .372 41.8
2024 Sinker 0.2 1 397 15.3 143 .252 .301 .304 9.9 16.1 16.3 .270 .388 .330 34.0
2024 Cutter -0.6 -2 296 11.4 78 .319 .458 .382 14.8 10.3 25.8 .322 .487 .376 31.3
2024 Slider -2.2 -5 240 9.2 37 .371 .600 .431 37.3 13.5 11.9 .343 .595 .417 33.3
2024 Curveball -1.5 -3 212 8.1 28 .357 .643 .423 17.4 10.7 13.0 .279 .452 .314 28.0
2023 Changeup 1.6 12 766 34.5 219 .207 .346 .260 35.9 32.0 20.8 .189 .308 .234 25.9
2023 4-Seam Fastball 1.8 12 641 28.9 156 .187 .321 .280 16.7 23.1 17.1 .245 .444 .345 46.5
2023 Sinker -0.3 -1 293 13.2 84 .253 .456 .339 11.1 15.5 13.7 .307 .516 .369 37.9
2023 Cutter -1.7 -5 272 12.2 63 .370 .593 .468 16.7 3.2 8.7 .379 .611 .460 38.5
2023 Curveball 0.6 1 245 11.0 29 .172 .310 .205 27.0 10.3 9.4 .319 .517 .355 34.6
2023 Slider -1.6 0 4 0.2 1 .000 .000 .000 0.0 0.0 0.0 .171 .252 .183 0.0
! Note: Years are in reverse order.
! Note: To better align with other values, positive numbers (red) are good, and negative numbers (blue) are poor.

Spin Direction

Year Pitch Type Pitches MPH Active Spin % Total Movement (In.) Spin-Based Observed Deviation
2024 Changeup 714 81.3 80 15.0 2:00 2:15 -15
2024 Curveball 205 75.1 85 19.8 7:00 7:15 -15
2024 Cutter 289 88.8 66 9.6 12:30 11:45 45
2024 4-Seam Fastball 609 93.6 99 18.7 12:45 12:45 0
2024 Sinker 388 93.6 98 19.3 1:00 1:30 -30
2024 Slider 239 84.1 20 4.1 10:15 9:00 75
2023 Changeup 730 81.6 84 17.5 2:00 2:00 0
2023 Curveball 245 74.0 86 19.9 7:00 7:15 -15
2023 Cutter 272 87.0 62 10.1 12:30 11:45 45
2023 4-Seam Fastball 639 92.0 99 19.6 12:45 12:45 0
2023 Sinker 293 91.9 98 20.8 1:00 1:30 -30
! Note: Years are in reverse order.
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! Note: This table is showing data from the PITCHER perspective.
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Pitcher Arm Angle

! Note: Data is available from 2020 through the present.
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Swing/Take

Runs
Year Team PA Pitches Heart Shadow Chase Waste All
2013 376 1,514 13 18 -9 -4 18
2014 451 1,706 10 15 -15 -5 5
2015 778 3,005 16 15 -12 -9 10
2016 600 2,303 -7 8 -10 -7 -15
2017 695 2,682 -7 31 -13 -8 3
2018 354 1,413 13 15 -12 -4 12
2019 557 2,199 -2 16 -13 -11 -11
2020 156 609 -6 6 -5 -2 -7
2021 544 2,033 -3 5 -10 -8 -16
2022 515 1,949 1 23 -11 -7 6
2023 552 2,221 13 23 -9 -7 20
2024 722 2,736 11 20 -14 -9 7
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Plate Discipline

Season Pitches Zone % Zone Swing % Zone Contact % Chase % Chase Contact % Edge % 1st Pitch Strike % Swing % Whiff % Meatball % Meatball Swing %
2015 2,937 52.2 70.3 81.9 29.4 66.5 44.4 63.4 50.8 21.5 7.8 76.8
2016 2,324 51.5 67.1 84.3 26.7 69.8 42.7 59.1 47.5 18.8 7.2 84.5
2017 2,690 52.3 66.9 81.2 26.7 64.0 44.8 66.0 47.8 23.0 8.0 80.9
2018 1,419 49.3 68.9 81.9 23.3 58.7 44.6 53.0 45.7 23.1 7.2 77.5
2019 2,199 46.7 71.3 81.8 27.4 69.2 42.6 57.8 47.9 21.2 6.6 77.9
2020 609 50.1 72.1 79.5 29.6 64.4 41.9 53.8 50.9 24.8 6.6 90.0
2021 1,974 52.0 73.1 83.6 32.6 59.9 41.7 68.8 53.6 23.0 8.8 83.8
2022 1,949 50.0 71.7 84.4 29.3 66.7 45.4 60.8 50.5 20.7 7.5 82.9
2023 2,221 50.2 65.9 82.9 29.7 57.6 44.6 61.8 47.9 24.6 7.4 72.6
2024 2,602 50.8 68.5 81.7 27.8 61.0 44.6 64.4 48.5 23.3 8.3 77.3
Player 20,924 50.7 69.3 82.5 28.2 64.0 43.9 61.9 49.0 22.2 7.6 79.6
MLB 48.7 67.0 82.0 28.5 57.8 42.6 61.0 47.2 25.0 7.3 76.3
! Note: All figures in this table cover the period 2015-present.

Percentile Rankings

Year xwOBA /
xERA
xBA xSLG xISO xOBP Brl Brl% EV Hard
Hit%
K% BB% Whiff% Chase
Rate
FB
Velo
FB
Spin
CB
Spin
Extension
2015 59 55 57 59 50 17 55 65 46 47 47 39 49 77 28 21 97
2016 40 26 34 45 41 25 46 63 54 34 58 15 23 67 29 14 98
2017 59 45 59 68 58 19 56 49 73 57 59 39 39 81 36 21 91
2018 11 10 18 31 7 41 25 29 35 35 21 37 6 60 17 19 93
2019 10 12 11 12 12 20 32 61 59 17 27 17 29 45 8 6 90
2020 40 31 24 24 65 28 34 56 16 52 93 37 67 54 21 90
2021 11 8 6 8 29 7 11 24 18 46 84 24 92 55 21 15 88
2022 21 27 13 8 50 11 14 56 70 31 79 12 49 33 20 11 75
2023 45 40 35 38 57 28 61 70 75 41 60 39 62 19 4 8 73
2024 47 31 37 44 56 8 39 89 92 34 70 32 40 42 14 18 77
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Expected Home Runs

Adjusted

Year Team Avg HR Trot Actual HR xHR HR-xHR Doubters Mostly Gone No Doubters No Doubter %
2016 22.3 15 16.0 -1 15 13 5 33.3
2017 22.9 17 16.3 1 8 15 6 35.3
2018 23.4 9 8.8 0 2 5 5 55.6
2019 23.4 26 23.9 2 6 12 16 61.5
2020 22.7 9 7.1 2 4 6 2 22.2
2021 23.4 24 25.6 -2 7 22 8 33.3
2022 24.1 18 18.0 0 14 14 6 33.3
2023 23.7 15 13.4 2 7 11 6 40.0
2024 23.4 18 20.8 -3 12 19 6 33.3
Player 23.3 151 150.1 1 75 117 60 39.7
Note: xHR tells how many of this pitcher's home runs allowed would have been out of other stadiums. The "Adjusted" view here accounts for different wall heights, distances and environmental effects using Statcast Park Factor data.
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Expected Home Runs by Park

Adjusted

Year HR
2016 15 17 11 19 16 14 17 16 12 10 14 21 15 13 15 19 10 14 17 16 16 13 24 25 18 15 16 24 18 17 9
2017 17 16 10 22 20 17 20 17 15 10 14 18 15 15 19 20 16 15 17 18 15 13 22 20 15 12 15 21 16 16 10
2018 9 10 7 8 9 8 9 9 7 6 8 9 10 8 8 10 8 9 9 10 10 10 11 10 9 7 9 10 11 9 7
2019 26 27 23 25 25 25 28 23 23 18 23 26 27 23 25 24 22 21 22 26 24 27 28 24 20 22 23 25 26 24 19
2020 9 8 4 9 7 8 8 7 5 5 5 7 7 7 8 7 8 9 7 9 7 6 9 6 7 6 5 10 9 7 7
2021 24 28 22 26 29 27 28 24 16 20 20 22 29 22 28 30 26 26 27 28 27 29 33 29 23 22 28 29 27 22 22
2022 18 14 17 21 19 19 18 14 14 14 18 20 22 16 18 21 17 18 17 18 18 20 23 19 14 15 19 23 22 16 15
2023 15 12 8 12 13 12 14 14 14 10 13 15 14 10 15 16 14 12 18 16 14 12 20 16 11 10 15 14 14 13 12
2024 18 21 20 23 17 19 23 20 17 14 18 23 24 17 21 19 21 18 24 29 26 20 30 26 16 19 16 21 27 19 17
Player 151 153 122 165 155 149 165 144 123 107 133 161 163 131 157 166 142 142 158 170 157 150 200 175 133 128 146 177 170 143 118
Note: xHR tells how many of this pitcher's home runs allowed would have been out of other stadiums. The "Adjusted" view here accounts for different wall heights, distances and environmental effects using Statcast Park Factor data.