Hayden Wesneski Talk: Wrapping a Fantastic Debut, Role for Next Year, Pitch Characteristics, More

Well, shoot.

Chicago Cubs pitching prospect (still 17.0 innings shy of losing rookie eligibility!) Hayden Wesneski never did have a really bad outing in his taste of the big leagues this year. HOW IS HE GOING TO LEARN NOW?!?!!?

I kid, of course. But like I said after pretty much every single one of his outings, it would’ve been fine if there had been some issue that popped up, torpedoed an outing, and then Wesneski would add it to the list he needed to work on this offseason. That never happened because he was just too dang good. The results he was getting was not the product of smoke and mirrors, or pure baseball randomness. He has multiple big league caliber pitches, a plus (maybe plus-plus) slider, and he showed exceptional command. It was everything you’d want to see in a front-end starter, quite frankly, even if his minor league development and trajectory didn’t suggest he was QUITE that caliber of prospect.*

There will still be things to work on this offseason – he and the Cubs will be sure of that (improving the changeup and/or cutter against lefties is probably a big one) – and he’ll still enter Spring Training without a guarantee of a big league job. That’s not a knock on him, of course. It’s just a recognition that the Cubs SHOULD be creating tons of additional depth this offseason, including impact pitching at the top of the rotation, and then a guy like Wesneski would either force his way in, would back-fill from start-to-start, or would eventually find his way into the rotation by way of inevitable injury. Whatever the case, the Cubs are probably going to want to mange the innings anyway, and it’s not like they would throw him out there for 32 starts and 220 innings next year from day one.

Wesneski’s season wrapped with a great outing last night against the Reds:

Overall, it was a tremendous development year for Wesneski, who got better and better as the year went on, even as the level of competition increased:

Comments from Wesneski himself:

And if you want to get really nerdy, you can go down a rabbit hole with Wesneski and Lance Brozdowski on more advanced pitch characteristics:

I just love the way Wesneski talks about this stuff, thinks about this stuff, works on this stuff, and tries to optimize. That’s going to help him this offseason, I’d imagine.

Also, did you catch that little bit in there in the middle video about Keegan Thompson? It was quick, but when Wesneski was talking about his unique slider – it moves more like a sweeper – he says he commands it so well because he’s been throwing it for such a long time, unlike Keegan, Wesneski says, who is still working on it. Sure enough, Thompson added his (little-used) slider at midseason, and it has much more horizontal movement than average. Thompson must’ve been working to add a sweeper, and it must be that he and Wesneski have talked about it. Would be pretty fun if Wesneski’s emergence actually wound up helping Thompson refine a new pitch!

*(Stray note on that, which I’ll bury here at the bottom in an asterisk’d parenthetical: while it’s very clear that Wesneski is a very good pitching prospect and has a Major League future, I’ve been hesitant to fully buy in to what my eyes have shown me in this small sample for one big reason. Why did the Yankees trade Wesneski in the first place? Yes, Scott Effross is awesome and controllable and the Yankees needed a relief arm, but in no universe are they trading a number two starting pitcher for Effross. So that means either the Yankees BADLY misevaluated Wesneski (something they just don’t do all that often with their own pitching prospects), the Cubs unlocked something at the margins (maybe, but that wasn’t the suggestion when they acquired him), Wesneski himself took a step forward in the Cubs organization for unspecified reasons, OR he’s showing out a little more here in September than he would/will in future, competitive seasons. Any of those are possibilities, and I’ll go ahead and root for the one that combines a Yankees whiff with a Cubs development success story. It happens. It’s just really rare. And it at least makes me cautious to want to see more next year before I say for sure that Wesneski’s ceiling is front two, rather than mid-rotation (which, by the way, would still be really valuable!).)

written by

Brett Taylor is the Lead Cubs Writer at Bleacher Nation, and you can find him on Twitter at @BleacherNation and on LinkedIn here. Brett is also the founder of Bleacher Nation, which opened up shop in 2008 as an independent blog about the Chicago Cubs. Later growing to incorporate coverage of other Chicago sports, Bleacher Nation is now one of the largest regional sports blogs on the web.

more cubs news

Justin Steele Injury Update: New Classification, MRI Tomorrow, IL Stint Coming? Steele and Counsell Speak

A significant update on Justin Steele came from Craig Counsell tonight after the Cubs extra innings loss in Texas. In short: Yes, a stint on the Injured List is likely for Justin Steele. But we still don't know how severe...

Enhanced Box Score: Rangers 4, Cubs 3 – March 28, 2024

It took exactly one day for the Cubs' ace to sustain what may be a significant injury, for their closer to blow a save, for the umpires to significantly impact the outcome of a critical play (this time in the...

OMG: Michael Busch Scored the 9th Inning, GO-AHEAD Run, Because He Just Never Stopped Running

That was absolutely incredible. To all the little kids out there, when your coach tells you to never stop running, this is why. Rookie Cubs 1B Michael Busch (the guy the Cubs got from the Dodgers this offseason to be...

Pre-Gamin’: Cubs at Rangers – Lineups, Pitching Matchup, Broadcast Info, Game Thread

*SHORT COURTS: It's Time To Bring The Home Court, Home! Looking for a unique way to celebrate your athlete or team before you peruse the FIRST CHICAGO CUBS LINEUP of the Year? Don't miss out! For just one more week...

The Cubs Are Among the Most Returning-y Teams

I am still mostly incapacitated at the moment, so apologies for the short shrift on such an otherwise blessed day. In between pokes and prods, I wanted to share a chart I saw that was pretty interesting, even if unsurprising:...

Maybe the Cubs Are the Favorites in the NL Central, After All?

ESPN was the first to throw some love the Cubs way this week, with an overwhelming majority of their writers, analysts, and editors picking the Chicago Cubs to win the NL Central in 2024. But the love doesn't end there....

The Season Begins, Love for Morel, Counsell’s Value, and Other Cubs Bullets

You know where you want to spend your Opening Day morning? The hospital! Suffice to say, this is not how I imagined getting HYPED for the Cubs' opener. I guess I'll just have to think about all the possible lineup...

Cubs vs Rangers: The First Series of the Year!

Cubs vs Rangers — THE REGULAR SEASON IS HERE! Wake up and rejoice. Later tonight, the Cubs will begin their march toward October Baseball against the (reigning World Series champion) Texas Rangers in Arlington. Justin Steele is getting the nod...

The 2024 Chicago Cubs for Dummies

Boom. We made it. The offseason is over, and the Cubs regular season - and those elevated expectations - begins tomorrow. But in case you slept through the winter, I'm here to catch you up on everything you need to...

I’m Expecting More This Year, Cubs — It’s Time to Start Winning

There's no way around it: The Chicago Cubs did *not* have the offseason we hoped they might after making Craig Counsell the highest paid manager in MLB history. Not that they did poorly, mind you. Cody Bellinger, Shota Imanaga, and...

Latest News

Suns vs. Thunder Prediction: Expert Picks, Odds, Stats and Best Bets – Friday, March 29, 2024

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder (50-22) are 2.5-point underdogs against Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns (43-30) Friday, March 29, 2024 at Paycom Center. The game starts at 8:00 PM ET on KSBI. The matchup's point total is...

Brewers vs. Mets Probable Starting Pitchers – March 29

The New York Mets (0-0) host the Milwaukee Brewers (0-0) in an Opening Day contest at 1:40 PM ET on Friday.The Brewers will call on Freddy Peralta against the Mets and Jose Quintana.Brewers vs. Mets Pitcher Matchup and Game InfoWhen:...

Cavaliers vs. 76ers Predictions, Best Bets and Odds – Friday, March 29, 2024

The Philadelphia 76ers (39-34) are 8-point underdogs against the Cleveland Cavaliers (44-29) at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse on Friday, March 29, 2024. The game starts at 7:30 PM ET on NBCS. The matchup's point total is set at 212.5.Our computer predictions...

Heat vs. Trail Blazers Predictions, Best Bets and Odds – Friday, March 29, 2024

The Portland Trail Blazers (19-54) will attempt to end an eight-game losing streak when they visit the Miami Heat (39-33) on Friday, March 29, 2024 at FTX Arena as heavy, 14-point underdogs. The contest airs at 8:00 PM ET on...

Rockets vs. Jazz Predictions, Best Bets and Odds – Friday, March 29, 2024

The Utah Jazz (29-44) will try to end a seven-game losing streak when they host the Houston Rockets (37-35) on Friday, March 29, 2024 at Vivint Smart Home Arena as 7.5-point underdogs. The contest airs at 9:30 PM ET on...

Bulls vs. Nets Predictions, Best Bets and Odds – Friday, March 29, 2024

The Chicago Bulls (35-38) hit the court against the Brooklyn Nets (28-45) as 5.5-point favorites on Friday, March 29, 2024 at 7:30 PM ET on NBCS. The matchup has an over/under set at 214.5 points.Before you place an informed wager...

Suns vs. Thunder Predictions, Best Bets and Odds – Friday, March 29, 2024

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder (50-22) are 2.5-point underdogs against Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns (43-30) Friday, March 29, 2024 at Paycom Center. The matchup begins at 8:00 PM ET on KSBI. The point total is set...

Nuggets vs. Timberwolves Predictions, Best Bets and Odds – Friday, March 29, 2024

The Minnesota Timberwolves (50-22) are 6.5-point underdogs when they host the Denver Nuggets (51-22) in a battle between the top two teams in the Western at Ball Arena on Friday, March 29, 2024 at 9:00 PM ET on ALT. The...

Knicks vs. Spurs Predictions, Best Bets and Odds – Friday, March 29, 2024

The New York Knicks (44-28) will try to continue a three-game win streak when they visit the San Antonio Spurs (17-56) on Friday, March 29, 2024 at AT&T Center as big, 10-point favorites. The game airs at 8:00 PM ET...

Kings vs. Mavericks Predictions, Best Bets and Odds – Friday, March 29, 2024

The Dallas Mavericks (43-29) will look to Luka Doncic (first in the league scoring 33.9 points per game) when they try to beat De'Aaron Fox (eighth in the NBA with 26.5 PPG) and the Sacramento Kings (42-30) on Friday, March...

more cubs news