The Throw-In That Was A Throw-Away

May 6, 2014; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Hector Noesi (48) pitches against the Chicago Cubs during the first inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

Much of the talk over the past few months has been who won the trade between the New York Yankees and the Seattle Mariners involving two big pieces–starting pitcher Michael Pineda and catcher Jesus Montero. While Jose Campos also came to New York in the deal, the second piece heading to the Pacific Northwest, hasn’t quite figured it out yet, and has basically become a throw-away piece to free up roster space.

Since leaving New York, Hector Noesi is now with his third organization in the Chicago White Sox. It just so happens that Noesi will be starting against his original team this weekend while the Yankees are in Chicago. He spent about 5 minutes in the Texas Rangers’ organization, hurling 5 1/3 innings of relief before he was claimed off waivers by the ChiSox in late April of this year. Command and mechanics have been pinpointed as Noesi’s downfall, who was originally projected as a swing-and-miss candidate when coming up in the Yankees’ farm system.

The White Sox are hoping, with pitching coach Don Cooper‘s tutelage, that Noesi who is 0-4 with an ERA of 7.31 can turn the corner and become a mainstay in the starting rotation. Noesi had previously served in the bullpen, and the White Sox believe the inconsistent pitching schedule has helped to stunt the development of the 27-year-old.

"Making those mechanical adjustments we mentioned when we first acquired him, he’s more comfortable in the starting role,” Hahn said, according to Hahn. “We feel we’ve made progress with him in the starting role in terms of getting him where we want him to be and having a regular schedule for that makes it more likely we’re going to get to the point where we want to with him than putting him in the pen right now and not being as consistent with his usage."

~White Sox GM Rich Hahn to CSN Chicago, courtesy of Brendan Kuty of NJ.com

As of right now, it appears the Yankees will be the winner of this deal, as Pineda has shown flashes of brilliance, but continues to fight injuries. He is expected to return to the Yankees’ starting rotation in June, most likely to the #2 slot behind Masahiro Tanaka. Jesus Montero came into camp so overweight, that the Mariners have all but given up on the former top prospect, and have demoted him to the minor leagues to regain his focus and to get into shape. Campos is still in the lower levels of the Yankees’ minor leagues, and Noesi, for all the struggles, is hoping that with the mechanical adjustments and insertion into the rotation, will finally help him stick at the big league level and stabilize his performance.