Inside The Pinstripes

Ex-Yankees Prospect Hayden Wesneski Shines in MLB Debut With Cubs

Wesneski, who was traded to the Cubs for Scott Effross, made his first big-league appearance on Tuesday night.

Max Goodman

In this story:

NEW YORK — Since the trade deadline, former Yankees pitchers that were dealt to other clubs have pitched extraordinarily well. 

Jordan Montgomery has looked like a Cy Young candidate with the Cardinals. JP Sears has shoved with the Athletics. Even Ken Waldichuk looked great with Oakland, making his MLB debut last week.

Now, you can add another ex-Yankees pitching prospect to that list.

Hayden Wesneski, the right-hander that New York sent to the Cubs in the Scott Effross trade, was spectacular in his big-league debut on Tuesday night at Wrigley Field. Coming out of the bullpen, Wesneski threw five scoreless innings against the Reds, allowing just two hits while earning the win. 

Wesneski struck out eight of the 18 batters he faced. 

The newest member of the Cubs made some history in the process as well. Wesneski is now the first Cubs pitcher since at least 1901 to throw five-plus shutout innings with seven or more strikeouts in an MLB debut, per Jordan Bastian of MLB.com.

New York knew it was making a sacrifice moving Wesneski, one of their top pitching prospects, in the Effross deal. It was an easier pill to swallow, however, considering just how much pitching depth the Yankees have in their system. They moved Sears, Waldichuk and Luis Medina in the Frankie Montas and Lou Trivino deal, trading away Beck Way, T.J. Sikkema and Chandler Champlain to the Royals in the four-player swap for Andrew Benintendi. 

Effross projects to have an impact out of the bullpen in pinstripes for years to come, strapped with five years of team control after this season on his current contract. The sidearm reliever made a solid first impression—posting a 3.24 ERA over eight games—before landing on the injured list with a shoulder strain.

MORE:

Follow Max Goodman on Twitter (@MaxTGoodman), be sure to bookmark Inside The Pinstripes and check back daily for news, analysis and more.

Published
Max Goodman
MAX GOODMAN

Max Goodman covers the New York Yankees for Sports Illustrated and FanNation. Goodman has been on the Yankees beat for three seasons. He is also the publisher of Sports Illustrated and FanNation's Jets site, Jets Country. Before starting Inside The Pinstripes, Goodman attended Northwestern University and the Medill School of Journalism. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Broadcast Journalism and Master’s Degree in Sports Media, graduating in 2019. At school, Goodman was an anchor and reporter with NNN SportsNight and played on the club baseball team. While at Northwestern, Goodman interned with MLB.com as an associate reporter covering the Miami Marlins. He also interned with ESPN, working as an associate reporter on Mike Greenberg's Get Up. Goodman is from New York City. He grew up in Hell's Kitchen. Follow Goodman on Twitter @MaxTGoodman. You can connect with him via email by reaching out at maxgoodmansports@gmail.com.

Home/News