Wesneski dishes on transition, cookie crush, Astros favs and more

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- One of the many new faces in Astros camp this year is right-handed pitcher Hayden Wesneski, who was acquired on Dec. 13 from the Cubs along with infielder Isaac Paredes and prospect Cam Smith (ranked No. 59 in baseball by MLB Pipeline) in exchange for outfielder Kyle Tucker.

Wesneski, 27, was born and raised in Houston and attended Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas. He posted a 3.86 ERA with 67 strikeouts, 21 walks, a 1.14 WHIP and .215 opponents¡¯ average in 28 appearances (seven starts) with the Cubs last season.

Wesneski bounced between Chicago¡¯s rotation and bullpen for the past three years, but the Astros told him he would be a starter. He¡¯ll join a rotation that includes Framber Valdez, Hunter Brown, Ronel Blanco and Spencer Arrighetti, another Houston-area product.

Wesneski recently took some time to talk with MLB.com about his career and life off the field:

Q: How¡¯s the transition been to a new team?
¡°Really good. The guys in the clubhouse are super nice. [Pitching coaches] Josh [Miller] and Bill [Murphy] have made it really easy, and really, the Astros are super disciplined. It¡¯s really cool to see the work, the little things that you don¡¯t necessarily see. ¡­ It¡¯s been very welcoming and warm over here. It¡¯s always good to play for your hometown team.¡±

Q: What¡¯s the best thing about playing for the Astros?
¡°Winning, No. 1. For me in particular, I get to sleep in my own bed, and that¡¯s something that people take for granted. You think wherever you play is your home, but it¡¯s not necessarily true. I actually get to sleep in my own bed and see my family and little things like that.¡±

Q: Who was your favorite Astros player growing up, and why?
¡°I know Jeff Bagwell and Craig Biggio have been walking around here, but I always liked pitching. Roy Oswalt was my guy. I liked the way he threw. He threw everything. I used to play him on video games -- the whole nine yards. He was my favorite Astro growing up.¡±

Q: What¡¯s something interesting that most people don¡¯t know about you?
¡°That¡¯s always a tough question. My friends know this, but I¡¯m a big gamer. I like playing video games -- a computer guy, PlayStation. I just really like video games. Man, I love desserts. Who doesn¡¯t, right?¡±

Q: What¡¯s your favorite dessert?
¡°I used to crush like four to half-a-dozen chocolate chip cookies. I slowed that down. You can¡¯t be doing that. I noticed that the shoulder, elbow, hips and back start hurting a little bit more when you crush more cookies.¡±

Q: Which new teammate have you grown the closest to?
¡°Bennett Sousa, and then Colton Gordon. He¡¯s a clubhouse favorite. He¡¯s a beauty. And Josh Hader I¡¯ve talked to a lot. A lot of pitchers. Hitters are kind of doing their things and getting in shape and I¡¯ll get to know them as the season goes on, but definitely those three guys.¡±

Q: What¡¯s your favorite road city?
¡°I heard Chicago is the best one, but it hasn¡¯t been a road city for me [yet]. I like New York City for three days. It¡¯s good for a road trip. I really enjoy bagels, so it¡¯s kind of the best in the world. You get a bagel and go to Central Park and it¡¯s a good time. Probably San Diego, too. That¡¯s a good one, right?¡±

Q: How did you pick No. 39 for your uniform number?
¡°I really didn¡¯t. I was going to try to stay with 19, but you¡¯re not going to get it from the manager (Joe Espada wears 19). I could try to pay him off or something. I guess I could have worked a little harder. That¡¯s out of respect to keep his number. Thirty-nine is close to 19. I¡¯m kind of making a new start here, so I wanted to have a new number. There are a lot of numbers that are retired, so 39 is the perfect number for a fresh start.¡±

Q: Which former Major League pitcher attended your high school (Cy-Fair in Houston)?
¡°Woody Williams. I knew that one.¡±