The Matt Thomas Show with Ross - New Astros Pitcher, Houston Native Hayden Wesneski Talks Coming Home

Episode Date: February 19, 2025

New Astros pitcher and Houston native Hayden Wesneski joined "The Matt Thomas Show with Ross" from the second day of full squad workouts at spring training. The Cy-Fair High School and Sam Houston State alum was acquired along with third baseman Isaac Paredes and prospect Cam Smith in a trade that sent outfielder Kyle Tucker to the Chicago Cubs. Wesneski discussed returning home, adding new pitches, his goal to be a starter and more.

We are joined by one of the goats of Syfair High School. That's right. Class of? 2016. We're getting older, Matt. I'm 1990. Where'd you go to high school at? Made Creek.

You ever been there? No. You ever played against Made Creek? Erigetti, no hit my high school twice when he was playing. Yeah. I already know what your high school's like. It feels rude. I mean, twice.

Once is an accident. Twice is it. By the way, it's Hayden West Neski. with us. It was in one day as well. No, I'm kidding. Say your name for the audience. Hayden was Nesky. Hayden was Nesky. It's an enterprise in Youngfield. All right. Hey,

okay, so you're in Chicago, you're getting a cup of coffee, and you're getting ready for camp, and all of a sudden you hear, boom. Kyle Tucker Tucket, that's cool. Oh, I'm part of the trade. So, I was in Houston. That's right, because you are a same Houston Bearcat. Yes, I'm born and raised

Houstonian, like a lot of guys on the team, right? But, yeah, I get a call. I was golfing with my family that I chose, the one I'm marrying into. Oh, this is the future father-in-law. Yes. Okay, we're going to get to that a minute, by the way. So then this is the second time we got traded, and both times we're on a golf course. Oh, what was your first trade?

I was with the Yankees, and I got traded to the Cubs. God, you're all over the place. You must have a friendly contract. No, bad teammate. Oh, is that right? You come across the Role-A-hole. You really do. That's what the guys at the gym say.

Oh, my God. Okay, so your reaction was the same as this time or different? Or I'd be happy, you'd be fired up coming home. Yeah, I was it. And by the way, you're in the rotation. Yeah, you said he had the best round of his life, right? I did. I helped my golf game.

Is that true? Are you making that up? No, no, that's actually seriously. That's not a joke. What's your handicap? I don't know. I don't know. I don't play enough.

I really, I seriously don't play that much. The last round you shot was a one. It sounds like a real gambler. The I don't know. Probably three digits. There we go. Is your future follow-in-law, prove of this, or what? I play baseball.

It's okay. Yeah. I have a job. He's a low bar. It's the hobby. It's the hobby. You're not asking for money just yet. Side fare's finest.

Is this a girl you met in college or high school or well? After college and pro ball. Early in pro ball. Okay. Not a big baseball fan. Your girl isn't? She likes it because I do it. So what is her number one thing?

Is she a big brabow watcher? Yes. That's kind of a upper alley. Now, let me guess. The way to her heart was by watching the real Hosways with her, correct? I don't want, no. I let her watch it. I give her the time. You just sit in the bed and look at your baseball reference numbers, right?

Yeah, whatever. Whatever that day's mission is. Don't do it. Don't look at the numbers. All right, so you get the trade end of the phone call. And then, I mean, you're penciled in. First of all, congratulations on that. You've got to be fired up for that opportunity. Oh, pumped. Yeah, you have no idea. Just, yeah, pumped. My family's really stoked about it. I packed lighter the spring training knowing I didn't have to

Right I'm going to move back to where It's just moving to place of time Yes Same house you grew up in? Yes Wow Oh we yeah

I'm 20 minutes away from everybody So are you going to live in that part of town or what are you going to do We're not sure I'm 45 minutes away I live more in Tallball area Oh you gotta get closer Dude You come over with me in Kingwood if you want to

It's kind of that's very far too It's a straight shot to 59 To the stadium But you can I don't know I don't know. We've talked a few things me and my fiancee have. We've stuck with maybe getting hotel rooms

whenever we need to. For like long term? No, no, no, no. Like, we'll get like this day, we'll get a hotel. Like, we'll pick a day. Oh, I see. Yeah. A good one day. Yeah. The day before your game. That makes a lot of sense. Like the night to day. So we'll play a night game on a third

Saturday and then Sunday we have a day game I'll get one Saturday night. I'm so jealous. That's life I want to live. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, it's, it's, I'd rather go home, but that's just me. I'm sorry to do this. I'm going to ask you a baseball question. I'm not going to ask you.

We talked to Fenfest, you said your goal was to be a starter. Have there any many conversations with the people up here about your role coming up or just go out there and we'll see? They haven't changed. Nothing's really changed. Number five today, number two in a couple of years. I'm hoping. You tell Hunter Brown, get out of the way, I'm going to take your spot. It doesn't matter if it doesn't matter.

It does not matter. As long as you're one of the five, it doesn't matter. That's right. It is kind of one of the most overrated things about, well, you know, I'd be like he's a 3-4 guy. You don't know that. I mean, if 3-4 needed to win a game in late September, they're going to count on you to do so. Yeah, that's right. I'm telling you, yeah, the opening day starter, that's so cool.

Right. That's a whole other ball game. Two to five, I'm not, after the first opening day, it's kind of just whoever's throwing the next game, right? So I don't really care. I've been in such a point where in Chicago, they were telling me to start when I needed a start. And so I didn't know if I was the three or the one or the five. It was just kind of whatever. Yeah. Yeah. It was. Okay. So what is the game plan in terms of what did you bring into camp this year that you have never brought to the camp in terms of is there a pitch? Is there a philosophy? Is there a

workout routine? Have you changed when you first became a professional baseball player? Oh, a lot has changed since I've been a professional baseball player. From last season, not a whole lot. But when I got drafted, I was a sink or slider guy. Sinker slider change up. As pro ball's gone on, added a cutter and a four seam. I throw a little harder. I was low 90s at Sam, and now I'm kind of two to five, right? I'll run it up there if I have, like,

things going well, feeling good, kind of, so we know you're going to be amped up if it hits 95 on the gun. No, I'm happy about it, not amped. Amps above happy, I think, right? Okay, I got you. See what I'm saying? Yeah, you want to be consistent. Yes, I'd rather, yeah, if I'm sitting three to five,

we're in a good spot. Okay, I like it. Sam Houston State, there's a catcher. that, by the way, they just got drafted. You know that kid? I wear him out as much as I can. Explain. Walker Yonick, that kid is...

By the way, another name, you guys are giving us a bunch of names we're going to have to really get to know a little bit here. That's East Texas, baby. It is East Texas. Walker Yonick. Walker Yonick. Walker Yon is an enterprise in Youngfell.

He is... Yeah, very country. Dude, he is... I'm sorry right now he's tough as a $2 stick. Dude can freaking swing it, has all the power. I try to help him out because the biggest thing with young catchers is that you have to learn how to manage two parts of a game, right?

And so I don't know anything about hitting. So I'm not going to try to help him on the hitting part. But when it comes to the pitching side, I'm going to tell him how to help him, right? And I go, you need to talk to your pitchers. Like, you've got to talk to them. I know it's exhausting, and you've got 13 of them on your team, 15 of them. In lower levels, it's up to 20, right, whatever it is. But I go, you've got to talk to them.

Like, you've got to know what they do. You got to know them. and you have to be able to call a game. And I try to tell him, I go, the easiest way to stick in the big leagues is being a pitcher. The second easiest is a catcher. So you got to figure out how to call a game. I know you have all the tools and stuff. But you have to understand.

You have to know your guys. How do you like pitchcom? Love it. Because it's just, it's quick clarity. There's no arguments. You can't. No, there's arguments, but with the clock, it speeds everything up. guy on second base, when we had the clock, and I was in AAA and they had the clock,

and we didn't have a calm, dude, it was impossible. You can't shake. So whatever the guy calls, it's like you have to do multiple signs, so he doesn't steal it and relay it. And then if you shake, then you're to zero, and you're throwing the pitch shit call, really. So the calm is just, it's the best by far. Yeah, as long as there's no, it seems like there's always some kind of battery issue or something. Is that, are you guys making that up? You're like, I need, I need, like, 30 seconds.

I'm going to act like my pitchcom's acting up. It feels like it's a trick of the trade. Yeah. I assume every time that it happens that they are doing that. Can you change the voice, like, on ways? No, I don't know. I haven't asked. I just kind of assumed it.

You're like some false... Curveball. Basically. Like, would you want James Earl Jones screaming your pitch to you? Or, like, like, a, a sultry actress you like? No, I'm thinking I want something a little bit more. His wife, his fiance, Matt. No, no, no, no.

We need something intense. Can't have, like, Morgan Freeman. Yeah, like, Morgan Freeman? Morgan Freeman. Like, uh-uh. How about a sick of. That's awesome. Well, we're so excited to have you.

Again, the story about you being on the golf course is great. And your spot is here. I mean, that's, to see that in the, and I don't know if you're much of a season preview guy, but to have your spot, I have to kind of not trying to work your way up. It has to be, you get to a new team, and then they're saying, look, we need you every fifth day.

Oh, man. You'll have no idea how much a big deal it is. With the Cubs, it was, and I loved playing for him. It's just I didn't know what my role was. I didn't know where I stuck. I did everything. I would show up to the park, and I wouldn't know what I was doing that day. And that's a weird feeling to have.

Is that, unfortunately, the management, or is that just guys like yourself that just don't have a spot just yet? I think it's that. I think it's what they needed me to do, right? A lot of guys get hurt, and I think a lot of it has to do at the clock. That's another issue, another time. A lot of guys get hurt, and at some time, most of the time. barter gets hurt. They need me go there and then a guy in the bullpen gets hurt and I got to move there, right? It's just kind of what you

have to do to balance out. How does your arm handle all that? I got hurt last year, so it happens. But for the most part, it's good. I'm pretty healthy. I mean, like you get banged up, but it happens. Yeah, when we're going to see you out here for the first time? 25th, I think. What is today? That's 19. We get six days.

25th? Yeah, I throw live tomorrow and then after that, I think the 25th. Do you like spring training? No. Sucks or just part of the business? Part of the business. It's just like, You get really frustrated. I get really frustrated. Things aren't going. The ball's not coming out the way I wanted to.

You know, like, it's just like it's early on. You get through the season. It's like, okay, when something doesn't happen the way you want it to, you know how to fix it. You know how to spin it right or don't pull it back. Spring training, I just, for some reason, I'm like throwing a pitch and I go, why isn't it doing what I want it to do?

And it's just you try to figure out how to fix it, and you put your head against the wall. I got great news. You got a month and nine days or something. to figure it out. Yeah, no, we'll figure it out, but it doesn't mean I'm not going to be frustrated the whole time. No, no, no. You know, you have an open invitation to this show anytime you want. We'll be back in Houston. You're going to be on with the shows all of our, you're our guy now. What can we get you for a wedding gift? What's on, do you have a registry just yet?

No, I don't. I'm trying to think of something unique that. I mean, when I got married, 1997, back, golf close, I was born. I was born. I put a direct TV receiver on there, and people are like, we're not giving you that. That's not happening. Because that was back in the day, that was like the brand new direct TV. You don't even know what was Adelaide Television, but that was the big thing. You know what I've heard nowadays is you put on really expensive gifts, and then the registry gives you like a discount on it. So we're going to get like, for instance, you get, I'm trying to think of something that's like $1,000, right?

Okay, you get something that's $1,000. You know no one's going to get it for you. It doesn't matter, though, because the registry is going to give you like 10% off or 20% off. So you buy it yourself. So you buy it yourself because you're going to get it for yourself anyway. What a sham that is. why we bring him, bring them on. Yeah, I learned, I learned that.

The life hacks. Yeah. Life hacks was Hayden. There's also, Hayden, there's also some stuff about couples' massages and stuff on the other. As a grown-ass man or another man, I'm not giving you any money towards a couple's massage. If you want that freaking life, you handle it on your own. I cannot agree more. We're on the same page there.

All right. Well, congrats. What's her name, by the way? Jacey. All right, Jason, I want her to listen to this show because we are very lighthearted and fun. And we want to win, you're going to win 15, 16 games this year. I hope it's more. Every fifth day.

Small steps, my friend. The Astros win. 35. Astros win the whole thing. No, they win a lot. No, they do win a lot. You got a new infield behind you, which is fine. You got sluggers up and down the lineup.

Always awesome. And your strikeout numbers are going to be good this year? I like outs. Okay. You know, like they just outs. Just watch out for that left field fence, you'll be all right. Strikeouts and Blake sounds really good. He doesn't go seven, eight, nine innings.

He just, he punched out a lot of them. the money he's making now true that's fair he plays a different game than most people you pitch well you're going to be insanely rich that's i have thought about that every day of my life of course you should i think of ross and i think of our career is like we're going to be okay we're never going to be insanely rich no especially him i'm doing okay all the jobs are you trade a little money for a lot of fun it's we have a good time it's the easiest job in the world it's the dumbest job in the world seriously we're here in west palm beach you throw a ball and we talk about you i don't do yeah i just talk about you and we and since we like you

so much. How stupid is that? If you give up six runs over three innings, we'll probably be kinder to you than guys we don't like. We got you back. I appreciate that. We'll say it's a tight strike zone. Yes. Or ball hardly went out.

Aighted or it'll only left out a two ballparks up. Yeah, that's right. Hayden Wissnowski. Did I get it okay? Yep, perfect. Cyfare Bobcats. Cifare Bobcats. Yeah.

And the same use in Bearcats. Bearcats. Very confusing. But the K, by the way, it's Bearcats with the K. Back with a moment here. The Matt Thomas Show with Ross. This is Sports Talk 7-90.