Hayden Wesneski

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Hayden Gregory Wesneski

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Biographical Information[edit]

Pitcher Hayden Wesneski was first drafted by the Tampa Bay Rays in the 33rd round of the 2016 amateur draft out of a high school in the suburbs of Houston, TX, but went on to attend Sam Houston State University. He was drafted a second time by the New York Yankees in the 6th round of the 2019 amateur draft after going 25-9 in three seasons in college.

In his first minor league season, with the Pulaski Yankees of the Appalachian League in 2019, he was used exclusively in relief, going 1-1, 4.76 with 3 saves in 19 outings. He then had to sit out the 2020 season when the minor leagues were shut down by the Coronavirus pandemic and in 2021 wasa full-time starter, making 24 starts in 25 appearances between the Hudson Valley Renegades, Somerset Patriots and Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, hitting the High-A, AA and AAA levels in one season. His combined record was 11-6, 3.25 and he struck out 151 batters in 130 1/3 innings. In 2022, he started the season with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, going 6-7, 3.51 in 19 starts. On August 1st, he was traded straight up to the Chicago Cubs for major league reliever Scott Effross. He moved over to the Iowa Cubs of the Pacific Coast League where he went 0-2, 5.556 in 5 games.

He was called up to Wrigley Field on September 5, 2022, and made his major league debut the following day, taking over in relief of starter Wade Miley in the top of the 4th with the Cubs trailing the Cincinnati Reds, 3-1. He pitched very well, giving up no runs on just 2 hits over the last five innings while striking out 8 batters and walking just 1. The Cubs' bats woke up and gave him 8 runs of support over their next four turns at bat and he received credit for the 9-3 win. In his second big league start on September 22nd, he pitched an immaculate inning in a 3-2 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. It was the first such inning by a Cubs pitcher since LaTroy Hawkins had thrown one on September 11, 2004. He went 3-2, 2.18 in 6 games, including 4 starts, striking out 33 opponents in 33 innings, while giving up just 24 hits.

In 2023, Hayden appeared in 34 games for the Cubs, with 11 starts, logging 89 1/3 innings. His strikeout rate remained good with 83 against just 32 walks, but his ERA rose up to 4.63, to go along with a 3-5 record. He also made 5 starts for the AAA Iowa Cubs, going 1-0, 1.35. In 2024, he started the season in Iowa, going 1-0, 2.53 in 3 games, before getting the call back to the big leagues on April 17th. The call actually came at 1 AM in the form of a knock on his bedroom door by teammate Matt Mervis, who relayed the instruction that he and fellow pitcher Colten Brewer had to get to Phoenix, AZ as soon as possible. It wasn't straightforward, but he made it in time for that afternoon's game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, and it was a good thing as the Cubs were coming off back-to-back extra-inning games and needed help on the mound. He made it into the game in the 5th inning, replacing starter Jordan Wicks, and gave his team four innings of one-hit relief, earning credit for the 5-3 victory.

Further Reading[edit]

  • Zach Buchanan: "No sleep? A flight connection? Nothing could stop Wesneski: Righty reliever arrives to park hours before first pitch and delivers four scoreless", mlb.com, April 17, 2024. [1]

Related Sites[edit]

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