The curious case of Atlanta Braves Starting Pitcher Matt Wisler

Going into the 2016 season, I thought Matt Wisler was the “real” Atlanta Braves ace and had potential to have really good top-of-the-rotation stuff mechanically and mentally. So far, he’s proving me wrong.

My high opinion of Matt Wisler going into the season, and even up until his last two starts (of which he has given up six home runs) has not been popular. And, I get it. His numbers are not great, but I’ve believed there to be potential in the midst of his mediocre numbers.

And honestly, I’m not entirely sure why. Perhaps it’s because of his debut game. In Wisler’s debut last June against the Mets, I remember him being dominant. I was at my redneck brother’s house drinking the finest of beers, Natty Light. Ben’s beer of choice. And I think we had some Waylon Jennings playing on Ben’s record player. With Wisler pitching in the background against my most hated of all teams – the Mets. All of which made for nothing less than good memories of Wisler’s Atlanta debut.

But, when I look back on that game now, he really wasn’t that stellar. He was good, but not stellar. He went 8 innings – Which in today’s “babying of pitchers” days is like a big victorious deal. And, perhaps it was also the fact that our pitching standards were so low, that any glimmer of promise (like a young rookie going 8 against a good team) shined bright like a lit star in the sky.

But, to my credit, Wisler did have a good first half in 2015. And I think I’ve been clinging on to that, assuming that the first half of 2015 was the REAL Matt Wisler. Every time Wisler’s on the mound, all I can think about is June 2015.

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Here’s what scares me about Matt Wisler. The long ball, obviously. But, not just that. The thing is, Matt Wisler is 23-years-old and when I look into his minor league numbers, he never really dominated above the AA level.

Wisler was called up last June when (then) rookie right-hander Mike Foltynewicz was sent down after posting an 8.04 ERA in his three June starts with Atlanta. At which point, Wisler had a 4.29 ERA in Gwinnett in 12 starts. The prior year, Wisler posted a 5.01 ERA in El Paso before he was traded to Atlanta in the Kimbrel trade.

In 2014, for the AAA El Paso Chihuahuas, Wisler gave up 19 home runs in 22 games. Last year, for the Atlanta Braves, Matt Wisler gave up 16 homers. 16 homers on the season is nothing to really worry about, but that’s 16 homers in 109 innings pitched.

So, if Matt Wisler never really dominated the highest level of the minor leagues, why should I believe that he’ll dominate the major leagues?

Wisler currently has a 4.31 ERA on the year, and his last two starts have been terrible. I want Wisler to be the pitcher he was in the first half of 2015. I like his command, and when he’s on he’s on. And, as crazy as this may still sound, I believe Matt Wisler has potential to be a better pitcher than Braves ace, Julio Teheran. I know. That’s crazy talk. But I believe Teheran to be highly overrated, unstable, and for some weird reason, I’m more nervous when he’s pitching than I am when Wisler is on the mound. I have no sabermetric arsenal to back up that belief. Settle down.

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If Matt Wisler has any chance of having a good long career in Major League Baseball, he’s got to make some more adjustments and keep the ball down in the zone. Otherwise he’s going to become another Jair Jurrjens and I’ll drown in a pool of alcohol and sadness. There is still hope. It’s only June.

Cheers.

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