39 years (August 30, 1981). Age/Adam Wainwright birth date is August 30th, 1981. He will be 40 years old in 2011. Wainwright was born in Peoria, Illinois, the son of Janie (Nolte) and Jim Wainwright. His father played baseball at Southern Illinois University before becoming a major league pitcher with the St. Louis Cardinals and Atlanta Braves. Wainwright's younger brother, Jordan, also became a major league pitcher. Adam Wainwright graduated from Peoria East High School in 1999. He then attended SIU where he pitched three seasons for the Salukis. After his junior year, Wainwright entered the 2000 draft and was selected third overall by the Cardinals. In his first season with St. Louis, Wainwright won 17 games and led the league in wins while helping the team reach the National League Championship Series. He was awarded the NL Rookie of the Year Award after going 15-3 with a 2.91 ERA in 29 starts. In 2001, Wainwright started 20 games for the Cardinals, winning 16 of them. He finished second in voting for the NL Cy Young Award behind Barry Zito of the San Francisco Giants.