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One of the position battles during spring training for the Chicago Cubs is the fifth spot in their starting rotation and so far there’s one guy standing out. Yes, it is only a couple innings in spring training for the trio of right-handed pitchers competing for the final rotation job, but Hayden Wesneski continues to shine on the mound, carrying his confidence and impressive stuff into this year’s spring training competition.
Wesneski, along with Adrian Sampson and Javier Assad, are the three main pitchers who are being evaluated the closest in spring training by David Ross and the Cubs coaching staff, as one of the three will make the rotation. Sampson was rocked in his spring debut, while Assad pitched two clean innings against the Dodgers. Today was Wesneski’s turn and he was fantastic.
Here’s a look at the four strikeouts from Wesneski in his two innings of work against the Seattle Mariners on Wednesday.
The first strikeout was against young superstar Julio Rodriguez, who was left in awe after he was frozen for strike three.
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Wesneski posted a 2.18 ERA and 0.94 WHIP, striking out 33 batters in 33 innings in his first MLB stint with the Cubs last September. The right-hander hasn’t gotten a lot of attention in top-100 prospects lists, maybe because he is a little older, but there’s no denying Wesneski has plenty of MLB potential.
Back at the start of spring training I wrote about the fifth starter competition and I predicted Sampson would eventually get the nod because he has recorded good numbers since joining the Cubs a few years ago. Plus, the Cubs have previously added a few of their up and coming starting pitchers into the bullpen, where they’ve gotten the bulk of their initial MLB experience. There’s also limiting innings for a starter that could be considered. However, if Wesneski keeps looking like a future ace, and even if things are equal in the competition, I do have to go with him out of the three main options.
Give me the guy who can miss bats every day rather than the guys who give up a lot more contact. Wesneski also has that x-factor or simply put he has “it” on the mound. It’s the strut, the confidence, the mentality, what’s not to love about Wesneski.
But we do have another four weeks before Opening Day to see how the competition turns out. I’m switching right now, though, give me Hayden Wesneski in the rotation and worry about how many innings he’s throwing later on in the season.
Hayden Wesneski “Wesnasty” T-Shirt
The Cubs’ rotation battle will be one of several things we will talk about on this week’s Pinwheels And Ivy Podcast. Join us live, Wednesday at 8 p.m. CST. Lots of early spring training observations, including how the Cubs roster could shake out if Seiya Suzuki isn’t ready by Opening Day.
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