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Despite his eye-opening performance so far this Spring Training, Cardinals prospect Michael Wacha will likely be starting the season at Triple-A Memphis, reports Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com.
Wacha was picked in the first round last season, and shot up prospect lists in his short performance after signing in 2012.
He was not expected to make this strong of a statement this Spring, but he continues to pitch well and show the Cardinals that he may be closer to big league-ready than they may have thought.
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Cardinals General Manager John Mozeliak said in the article that the team values the experience he is accumulating, and that it is "great" to keep him around camp.
Mozeliak cited that pitching in the Major Leagues is tough, and they do not want to put him in a position that he can't handle. Wacha ideally would log more innings in the minors before being called up to the big league rotation.
Coming into Spring Training, the team was expecting Wacha to start in either the Double-A or Triple-A rotation, but it now seems as though he is a near-lock to start at Triple-A. If he pitches well he could even make it as far as St Louis this summer, but only if the team sustained more injuries.
