Wacha returns to All-Star Game over a decade later -- this time a veteran leader

KANSAS CITY -- On July 14, 2015, a freshly turned 25-year-old pitcher named Michael Wacha walked into the home clubhouse at Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati and was surrounded by National League All-Stars. He was glad he had familiar faces around him -- five other Cardinals teammates were All-Stars that year -- but Wacha was otherwise in awe: “The best of the best,” he said.

Eleven years later this Tuesday, Wacha will walk into the visiting clubhouse at Citizen Bank Park in Philadelphia, finally an All-Star again. The 10 seasons in between these All-Star appearances for the Royals right-hander is just the third instance in Major League history, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, in which a player has gone that long or more in between selections, joining Bert Blyleven’s 11 seasons from 1973-85 and Schoolboy Rowe’s 10 seasons from 1936-47.

“I definitely waited long enough in between,” Wacha said with a laugh.

That gap was filled with all sorts of twists and turns that have come to define Wacha’s career. The Cardinals’ first-round Draft pick in 2012, Wacha’s career started on a high as a rookie just a year later in ‘13, with a postseason run that included being named the NL Championship Series MVP. His early career was full of big October moments before the Cardinals let him walk as a free agent in ‘19. From there, Wacha began a series of one-year deals with four different teams -- the Mets, Rays, Red Sox and Padres -- until latching on with the Royals for the past three seasons.

Wacha has always been a good pitcher, but he’s had to evolve based on injuries or underperformance. He’s added a slider in recent years, and he’s tweaked his usage to keep hitters guessing even in his 14th big league season. In many ways, though, he’s still the same. His changeup is still his best pitch. He can still reach back for 97 mph when he needs it. And, what he’s most proud of, is the way he continues to work.

“Just the way I still love the game, and how much I love to prepare,” Wacha said. “I love to go out there and compete every day. I’m glad that the fire is still there.”

Since 2024, Wacha has become one of the best free-agent signings in Royals history, with a 3.65 ERA across 79 starts and 458 2/3 innings. In December 2023, Kansas City signed Wacha to a one-year deal with a player option as part of its massive roster overhaul in hopes of building a contender. Wacha played a crucial role in bringing the Royals back to the postseason, making 29 starts in ‘24 with a 3.35 ERA and making two starts that October. Following that season, the Royals inked Wacha to a new, three-year deal that keeps him in Kansas City through ‘27 with a club option for ‘28.

While the Royals have yet to build on the success they had in ‘24, expectations have been drastically different for the organization for the past few seasons. Wacha is a big reason why.

“He wants the team to win more than anybody I’ve met,” starter Noah Cameron said. “Like, if the team’s losing, he’s freaking locked in, pissed off a little bit, even if he’s doing well.”

Wacha’s on-the-field contributions are apparent in the numbers and innings he’s thrown since he arrived in Kansas City. What becomes even clearer walking into the clubhouse is the weight his words and example carry with his teammates.

“A guy that’s been around the game, who plays the game the right way, does everything the right way -- watching him, for one, is special,” said Bobby Witt Jr., who will join Wacha in Philadelphia for his third All-Star appearance. “But also being able to talk to him each and every day: What he thinks, how he’s attacking hitters, whatever it is, being able to converse about baseball with him has been great.”

Back in 2015, Wacha was the young pitcher in St. Louis with mentors like Adam Wainwright. Now, the joke is that Wacha is the old guy in the Royals’ clubhouse. But the lessons he learned back then are being passed down still: Leadership, perseverance, reliability. The conversations stick with his teammates, but so does the example he sets when they’re observing him, even when he might not know it.

“Even just really the small things,” Cameron said. “Like in between innings, the catcher who’s not catching goes out and warms up the pitcher, and Wacha is the first guy to get up and go give that guy a high five. That’s super small, and you’d never think about it, but that shows me even more like how to be a good teammate, how to be the best professional you can be.”