FanSided

Checking in on 3 pitchers Yankees traded away in 2022: Who's heating up?

By Adam Weinrib |
Chicago Cubs v Oakland Athletics
Chicago Cubs v Oakland Athletics / Thearon W. Henderson/GettyImages
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We get it. Many Yankees fans have expressed their frustration with the ongoing "Clarke Schmidt as a starter" experiment, which Aaron Boone admitted isn't likely to end while two of the team's top starters in Luis Severino and Carlos Rodón are on the shelf.

“He’s one of our starters right now. We’re a little banged up in the rotation right now. He’s got to go out and find a way to get to that next level. We don’t really have that luxury right now.”
Aaron Boone

The good news (Bad news? Just "news" in general?) is that it seems unlikely the Yankees would be getting drastically better results from any of the young pitchers they traded away at the 2022 trade deadline, receiving Frankie Montas and Scott Effross in exchange.

Schmidt, Ken Waldichuk, Hayden Wesneski and JP Sears could all have bright futures. In a worst-case scenario, only the three non-Yankees would succeed, while Schmidt was left behind.

At this moment in time, though, all four pitchers are still figuring things out (though, it must be said, Schmidt still lags behind in fourth).

How well are former Yankees pitching prospects performing for Oakland, Chicago?

Ken Waldichuk, LHP, Oakland A's

The silver lining in Waldichuk's 2023 season so far is that his best performance of the year came in his most recent outing against Chicago -- where, yes, he missed being matched up with Wesneski by just one day.

Perhaps the burden of sky high expectations being lessened will help the left-hander, who was replaced as Oakland's star pitching attraction by recently-promoted top prospect Mason Miller.

Still, the early returns on Waldichuk don't show the same unfettered dominance from his minor-league days. His five innings of shutout ball against the Cubbies, along with three walks and five strikeouts, lowered his season ERA to 7.65 and his WHIP to 1.85; he's allowed 27 hits and 10 walks in 20 innings. There's not much difference between his season and Schmidt's, at the moment, other than Waldichuk's ability to complete five innings.

Hayden Wesneski, RHP, Chicago Cubs

Wesneski is by far the pitcher the Yankees miss most (so far); his bulldog attitude and ability to shrug off failures and keep pounding could certainly keep his season from snowballing.

Not coincidentally, the right-hander got off the mat after being smacked around by the Seattle Mariners (1.1 innings, 7 hits, 7 runs, 2 earned, 4 walks, 0 strikeouts), watched his team somehow come back to win that game, and returned with a vengeance for his next outing (which, we're legally required to mention, came against the tanking Oakland A's).

Wesneski fired back on Tuesday night with seven five-hit innings, complete with seven strikeouts and no walks. At his best, he attacks the zone with mid-90s fastballs, allowing his devastating breaker to really shine. Mentality-wise, he seemed like a perfect fit for the Bronx. Any early-season struggles already feel 60 miles in the rear view mirror. Would've been nice to have right about now.

JP Sears, LHP, Oakland A's

Sears was the furthest along on his big-league journey when the Yankees dealt him away, but likely possessed the lowest upside (and, probably, the highest floor) of this trio of arms.

Last summer, Sears spent time with the Yankees when the team-wide vibes were at their highest, and fit right in, posting a 2.05 ERA and three wins in seven outings (two starts) with the Bombers.

After heading to Oakland, the Yankees and Aaron Judge victimized him with a three-run homer (and a loss) on Aug. 26, but his 2022 season still managed to wrap up with solid numbers (3.86 ERA, 67 hits in 70 innings, only 51 Ks).

2023? More of the same. Rock solid. You know what you're getting. In 15.2 innings, Sears has allowed 15 hits and 12 strikeouts. He's allowed three, three, and two earned runs in his three starts, each of which have increased in length, culminating with a six-inning outing against the powerful Mets.

On the flip side? He's already surrendered five homers. If batters continue to go boom against Sears, he might bust, but ... as of now, he seems like a still-appealing mixed bag. At the very least, he's consistent.

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