These 18 Players Were Selected Ahead Of Michael Wacha In The 2012 MLB First-Year Player Draft

St. Louis cardinals pitcher Michael Wacha has not only produced the unlikely Muppets-related catch phrase of the 2013 postseason, but has also put together one of the most impressive postseasons ever by a rookie pitcher. Yet, the 22-year-old righty who was named the MVP of the Cards' 2013 NLCS triumph over the Los Angeles Dodgers was just the 19th player selected during the 2012 MLB First-Year Player Draft.

Coming out of Texas A&M after notching a 9-1 record over 16 starts with a 2.06 ERA in his junior season, Wacha was ranked by Baseball America as the 76th best prospect in baseball after the 2012 campaign. The prescient Cardinals drafted him with the 19th overall selection. In the 2013 postseason, Wacha has earned wins against Clayton Kershaw (twice) and John Lackey. In the 2012 MLB Draft, he was selected after players like Carlos Correa, Mark Appel and Gavin Cecchini. The Mets, who drafted Cecchini with the 12th overall selection, were among the teams asked to justify not calling out "Wacha Wacha Wacha" when it was their turn to pick in 2012.

“Our guys liked Wacha a lot in 2012 — one of the top college pitchers on the board,” Mets VP of player development and amateur scouting Paul DePodesta recently told the New York Post. DePodesta explained that the Mets were focused on position players early in that draft as they felt the organization's pitching depth was sufficient.

Here is a look at Cecchini and 17 other players who went ahead of Wacha in the 2012 MLB Draft: