Chicago Cubs Top Pitching Prospect Gives High Praise to Veteran Catchers

The Chicago Cubs have a special one on their hands in starting pitcher Hayden Wesneski. Whether or not he makes the Opening Day roster, much less the rotation, is irrelevant when it comes to his maturity.

Sure, he hasn't allowed a single run this spring in 8.2 innings pitched. And sure, the last four of those he threw perfect baseball. And yes, the talent is there to find as much success as he wants at the MLB level.

But is it going to his head?

Seemingly not. He spoke with the Chicago Sun-Times about his experience working with veteran catchers Yan Gomes and Tucker Barnhart. He couldn't have given higher praise.

“[Gomes] is really good at what he does,” Wesneski said in a piece ostensibly about Wesneski’s own successes in the rotation competition. “He doesn’t get enough credit for how good he is, calling a game and controlling it. He treats you as if you’re the only pitcher he’s worked with. I see him work with other guys. It’s the same way. It’s incredible. I see why he’s been around for so long. He’s really good at his job.”

As far as Barnhart goes, well, he is earning the trust of the entire pitching staff.

“It blew me away to think that the first bullpen I threw in spring, he already knew all about me,” Wesneski said, “before even meeting the guy.”

Without pointing out the obvious, that is exactly why the Cubs went the direction they did with their catching staff. For the most part, Chicago has a young pitching staff that could get even younger with the potential inclusion of Wesneski.

Having catchers that double as mentors to these pitchers will pay far larger dividends down the stretch than one that can produce a slightly higher OPS. One only needs to look towards Wesneski's performance this spring to see the payoff.

His maturity in recognizing it makes him that much more special.

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