Over the last decade, Major League Baseball has found new ways to highlight the personalities of its athletes as fans develop a deeper connection to the sport. Whether that is actualized through digital content, Q&A sessions or accessibility to sabermetrics, the league has steadily augmented its presence in the modern media ecosystem. Adam Wainwright in particular was no stranger to in-game interviews on national broadcasts during his 18-year major-league career, all spent with the St. Louis Cardinals, obliging to requests to have him on the air and fulfilling his obligations.
“[Networks] would always reach out, ‘Hey, can we get Adam in the top of the third or the bottom of the fourth’ or whatever it was, and I did a lot of those things, and each time I did one as the years went on, the people almost inevitably would say, ‘Alright, looking forward to your broadcasting career when you get done with [playing].’ They’re the ones that kind of made me start thinking about it, but I do love it.”
At the conclusion of last season, Wainwright officially retired from the sport having started 478 games and garnering more than 2,200 strikeouts. Widely recognized as being among the pantheon of Cardinals players in franchise history, he took his talents and applied them in the broadcast booth as a full-time game analyst for FOX Sports.
Whereas some athletes enter the role without previous experience or a trial run, he was building off a portfolio that he had accumulated starting four seasons earlier. Wainwright was on the call for the 2020 NLDS between the Miami Marlins and Atlanta Braves alongside play-by-play announcer Adam Amin and analyst A.J. Pierzynski. As he ventured into the enterprise, he found himself able to apply his unique knowledge to the broadcast.
“I think the main thing is on-field experience,” Wainwright said. “There’s a certain thing that you watch for as a player that maybe someone who didn’t do that doesn’t look for or a certain tell that leads you to think about what’s about to happen or a guy’s reaction in the box as a pitcher. It took me years – it took me five or six years probably in the big leagues at least to be able to read a hitter really well.”
Wainwright followed a similar schedule over the ensuing seasons, appearing on ALDS broadcasts on two of the next three years, including last season between the Houston Astros and Minnesota Twins. Signing with FOX Sports upon his retirement made sense to him in that he was growing as a broadcaster and had enjoyed being part of its baseball coverage.
“Experience wise, when I have worked with them, everything has been great,” Wainwright said. “I have loved the producers and the people that are in the truck and all the little ins and outs of the game – they’ve taught me so much about it – and I’ve loved the partners that I’ve worked with.”
Wainwright, Amin and Pierzynski are headed to London to call the MLB International Series game between the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday afternoon with coverage beginning at 12:30 p.m. EST on FOX. Being selected for the game assignment and making the trip across the Atlantic is something he considers an honor, and he looks forward to delivering his analysis of the action live from London Stadium.
“I played there last year with the Cardinals in the Cardinals-Cubs game, and I know what it’s like pitching on that field and what the mound is and the field’s all about and how the ball flies, and so I like that I’m bringing that,” Wainwright explained, “but I also like that I’ve got a couple of old shoes next to me that can help me when things aren’t just right.”
Preventing subjectivity on the national broadcasts is an aspect of the job within his cognizance every time he steps behind the microphone. While it can be beneficial to have someone recently removed from playing who faced many of the active hitters, it also poses a potential challenge in offering critiques. During a game two years ago, Wainwright was granted the chance to visit the radio booth at American Family Field and call half an inning of a game with Milwaukee Brewers radio announcer Bob Uecker, a beloved presence with an enduring legacy.
“I said, ‘How is it that you keep such a great relationship with the player and the employer?,’” Wainwright asked, “and he said, ‘Adam, you never tear down the player. If you want to criticize the play, criticize the play, not the player.’”
In a recent contest between the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals, Wainwright watched as Cardinals first baseman Paul Goldschmidt committed an error that prevented him from making a routine catch. Even though Wainwright played for the Cardinals, he had to address the matter for purposes of the broadcast and grant an objective viewpoint. In the moment, he thought about what Uecker told him prior to critiquing Goldschmidt’s footwork.
“I felt like that was fair to the play because it should have been made differently, but it was also fair to the player who usually, typically does a great job of it,” Wainwright said, “but I tried to put in a spin that wouldn’t be so hurtful to him but also it would tell the truth.”
A benefit to working within the MLB on FOX property is that he gets to travel around the country for games, trips he sometimes treats like a mini-vacation. For now, he does not foresee himself taking on local broadcasting responsibilities, specifying that he would need to spend a majority of the time back in St. Louis, thus making it difficult on his loved ones.
“Right now where my family is, I would never commit to something like that at this moment,” Wainwright said. “I just have too much going on. I got to make sure these kids know that their dad’s there for them – I missed a lot of stuff as a player – and so now I got to make sure I’m there for them.”
Being present for his family, which includes volunteering as an assistant on three baseball teams, has had residual effects on Wainwright’s broadcasting abilities as it pertains to synthesizing and articulating complex topics. There is a considerable amount of nuance embedded in pitching, and his aptitude to understand and execute it as a player is part of what has made him shine in the broadcast booth.
“You can’t talk to somebody who’s a 10-year veteran in the big leagues the same way as you talk to a 10-year-old,” Wainwright said, “and I think as an analyst, I have to remember that there are lots of different age groups; there’s lots of different baseball knowledge out there.”
Being situated within his formative years as a broadcaster, Wainwright acknowledges there are instances when he speaks too much or not enough. Even so, he tries to be himself and demonstrate his authentic personality to the viewers without elements of fabrication or duplicity. Moreover, he receives feedback about the broadcast from Amin, which has facilitated the progress of honing his craft.
“Between innings, if I could have done something different, he always offers up like, ‘Hey man, talk more about this,’ or, ‘Hey, when we come back, I want you to hit this,’ or if I know I messed something up, he’s always very encouraging,” Wainwright said. “And I’m a words of affirmation person, and he’s very, very good about that and always building me up, never tearing me down.”
Hard to explain in a short message how incredible yesterday was. Playing on the same stage as all the greats of country music at the @opry and standing in the circle… what a dream come true! @Cardinals nation showed up in force yesterday too! Love yall! Here’s a few pics pic.twitter.com/5TLN63Jl9z
— Adam Wainwright (@UncleCharlie50) March 10, 2024
Outside of his work with FOX Sports, Wainwright also provides studio analysis for MLB Network and has appeared across several of its programs. Having a chance to witness the production value behind the broadcasts and all that goes into presenting award-winning studio coverage of the sport has proved interesting. Wainwright is contributing to MLB Network coverage throughout the year as he continues to cultivate opportunities to work in the sports media business.
Appearing in the broadcast booth and the studio are far from the only activities in which Wainwright takes part as a retired player. In addition to philanthropic efforts for which he was honored as the winner of the 2020 Roberto Clemente Award, he is a skilled country music artist. Wainwright released his first album this past April and demonstrated his talent last season performing the national anthem at Busch Stadium on Opening Day.
“I love performing,” Wainwright said. “I love getting on stage, and walking on stage with a big crowd is the closest thing there is to running onto the field to pitch a big game. It is remarkably similar – the jitters that kind of go into it beforehand and the preparation for a lead singer to be out there is very similar to a starting pitcher. You can’t mess that up or the game’s over, and so it’s very similar on the stage.”
Over the last week, Wainwright had a three-day stretch in which he traveled around on a tour bus to take part in a variety of broadcasting and performance obligations. The journey began with a headline concert at Hammons Field in Springfield, Mo., the largest non-baseball event in the history of the ballpark. Wainwright then traveled to Chicago, Ill. to call a game at Wrigley Field between the Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds that night. After the game concluded, he slept on the bus and arrived in Madison, Ill. the next morning where he initiated and performed at the Enjoy Illinois 300 race within the NASCAR Cup Series.
“I felt like kind of a rockstar just traveling around and waking up on the tour bus and going to sleep late, and it was a lot of fun,” Wainwright said. “I was glad when I got home for sure.”
Although Wainwright feels he may have overcommitted this summer, he is enjoying his time on the stage this summer, whether that be commentating on baseball, touring as a musician, engaging in philanthropy or spending time with his family. Akin to an athlete, he is staying grounded in the present moment focusing on the tasks at hand and will evaluate everything once the season comes to a close.
“I’d like for my music side to take off a little bit for sure, and I’d like to be known as a great broadcaster, but right now I’m not worried about any of it,” Wainwright said. “I’m just having fun where I’m at.”
