
Photography by Scott Rovak
At Cardinals spring training in 2013, young Michael Wacha was a curiosity, too green to make the team, but too precocious not to turn heads. He made his Major League debut against the Royals last May, allowing one run in seven innings, and by October, he had ascended to ace status. Wacha (Wacha Wacha) was the MVP of the National League Championship Series, twice outdueling Clayton Kershaw, the best pitcher on the planet, to propel the Redbirds to the World Series. What will the prodigious Wacha do for an encore? For one thing, he’ll be immortalized as a bobblehead doll. The giveaway is scheduled for April 11, when the Cardinals host the Cubs (find out more at cardinals.com).