July 3rd, 2019. The only start for the MLB club that Bryse Wilson showed his potential. 59 of his 87 pitches were fastballs, averaging 95.2 and topping out at 97. The difference in this start than his other appearances in 2020? He could locate his fastball.
And no, I’m not implying that Bryse Wilson has a control problem. Far from it. He has a “meat of the plate†problem. Looking back at all of his other appearances of which he got shelled, there were WAY too many middle-middle fastballs. They were crushed.
Bryse’s Stuff and Lack Thereof
Wilson is a 4-pitch pitcher, FB/SL/SI/CH. His 4-seamer is his best pitch and the one he leans on. His achilles heel right now is the underdevelopment of a good changeup (read on…you’ll be encouraged), and that is something that has to come along in order for LHHs to stop destroying him. Still, Bryse fared well at AAA when hardly any pitcher fared well in that league and led the International League in ERA and minimizing walks. There was talk by some of my MiLB guru friends that his change was really coming along at the end of the season, and I witnessed it watching a few of his outings at the end of the season. That’s promising news. I’m a fan of the sample size when it comes to Minor Leaguers, and after being demoted back to Gwinnett, Bryse had one heck of an ending in 2019:
6 starts, 40 IP, 0.90 ERA, 37K, 7BB. That’s bloody remarkable.
Bryse Wilson, not yet 22, has pitched a total of 27 innings in the big leagues over the course of 2 years, and they’ve been pretty bad. He’s struggled to keep the ball in the park or even on the ground, and the BABIP gods have not been in his favor. These 27 innings aren’t reflective of the skill that I’ve seen watching numerous starts of his down at AAA. There’s still pedigree here and we shouldn’t jump ship on a pitcher that could be a serious workhorse for the Braves.
Outlook for 2020
If the Braves don’t grab 2 starting pitchers, look for Bryse, along with 4-5 other candidates, to battle for the 5th spot in the rotation and if that change-up truly is ready to go, Bryse will win it.
Great write-up and insight Ryan. I’m a Bryce fan but I hadn’t even noticed how dominant he finished the year. That’s really encouraging. He may never put it all together and develop the potential he shows. But it also wouldn’t surprise me at all if he turned out to be the best of the next wave of young pitching between him, Wright, Anderson, Toussaint, Muller, Davidson et al
Love Charlie but it’s the right move. We should be able to get someone hitting like he did for less. Gotta save all the money for JD!
Jose Peraza is the exact thing one would want from a backup SS on a 26-man. He doesn’t kill you with the bat, good speed off the bench, and has positional flexibility with plus defense. If he could be signed for Charlie money, it’s a good get.
Granted, I still think the Braves grab Adeiny.
Did I really leave Touki out of my top-30? Is he still rookie eligible?
Love Bryce, think he gets a lot of starts in 2020 and can emerge as a good #3 starter. Anderson and Muller and Touki could all still become aces.
@4
Touki has exceeded rookie status now.
I think the window for Ace Touki is closing if it hasn’t already closed. Still could be a valuable pitcher, even a starter, but I think the Nolan Ryan FB/CB hurler isn’t in the future, as much as I hate to give up on the dream.
Prove me wrong T.T!
Is it March yet? =|
No, and if we get to March without having made another move, then I’ll be really disappointed to watch this team take the field with Riley/Camargo at 3B, multiple bench faces in the OF, and rookies/unprovens in the rotation.
Everyone deserves better than that from Atlanta.
I think the moves we’ve made so far are actively insane without intending to make followups.
I just read the discussion in the last thread about Rendon. I don’t know about the “nice guy vs. swagger” stuff but I do know that Rendon is a fantastic offensive player. I’d love to think the Braves are in on him.
And the fact that my daughter is Rice class of 2004 (Hansen) is not relevant to that evaluation.
Thanks, Ryan, for your insights into Bryse. I too had missed his strong finish last year. Given his age and his control (if not yet command) of a 96 mph heater, his upside is very much on the up side.
Like many I will miss Charlie Clutch, but he doesn’t hit (or walk) enough to be a reliable pinch hitter and his glove won’t play at short. But that doesn’t mean they should sign Adeiny. He has proven over many years that he can’t hit. They don’t need a defense only shortstop; they will not be taking Dansby out for a defensive sub. If Dansby is hurt or his bat falls apart and they need a new regular shortstop, they will need to look elsewhere.
Like Ryan says, Dansby is an adequate backup for Lindor.
Or Trevor Story.
Nathan and Game, Blauser – you guys are SO young. OY. When I graduated (Baker ’83), Martel hadn’t even been considered to be built yet and Weiss had just gone co-ed.
tfloyd, congrats on your daughter going to such a great school.
I’d love to have a Rice-nik on the Braves. I don’t think we’ve had a Rice grad since Norm Charlton (13G, 1998 – post-Nasty Boy). Rendon would be a considerable upgrade over Charlton too….. LOL
I am a big believer in Bryse. I am quite certain he’ll be a solid performer for many years in the middle of a rotation. My opinion is that he has more long term potential than Wright. They are basically at the same level of competence and Bryse is about 3 years younger.
It’s been 4 dark years since the latest James Bond movie, but the new movie’s trailer released this morning. I’ve watched it 5 times. That’s a good start.
Hi all,
Been a while since I commented. Welcome (back!) to Ryan C, thank you to Rob for keeping things going after the AAR era.
Did you see the ESPN article about “1 blockbuster move” for each team?
https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/28211999/one-blockbuster-move-all-30-mlb-teams
What do you think about the suggested Braves move (trade w/ Royals)? I have not seen that on anyone’s radar, but it is an interesting idea
New thread…I’m going to bring your last comment over to the new thread, JF.