Bryse Wilson

WTM’s PLAYER PROFILE

2016
R:  1-1-0, 0.68 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, 26.2 IP, 2.7 BB/9, 9.8 K/9

Wilson debuted briefly in the Gulf Coast League and had little trouble.  Baseball America rated him 25th in the Atlanta system after the season.

2017
A:  10-7-0, 2.50 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, 137.0 IP, 2.4 BB/9, 9.1 K/9

Atlanta sent Wilson to low A, where he spent the season in the rotation.  He put up good numbers across the board.  BA moved him up to 12th in a good system.

2018
A+:  2-0-0, 0.34 ERA, 0.86 WHIP, 26.2 IP, 2.4 BB/9, 8.8 K/9
AA:  3-5-0, 3.97 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, 77.0 IP, 3.0 BB/9, 10.4 K/9
AAA:  3-0-0, 5.32 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, 22.0 IP, 1.2 BB/9, 11.5 K/9
MLB:  1-0-0, 6.43 ERA, 2.00 WHIP, 7.0 IP, 7.7 BB/9, 7.7 K/9

Wilson rose rapidly through the Braves’ system.  In his third game in AAA, he threw eight shutout innings, allowing one hit and striking out 13.  His next start was his major league debut, at age 20, and he threw five shutout innings.  BA rated him sixth in the system.

2019
AAA:  10-7-0, 3.42 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 121.0 IP, 1.9 BB/9, 8.8 K/9
MLB:  1-1-0, 7.20 ERA, 1.80 WHIP, 20.0 IP, 4.5 BB/9, 7.2 K/9

Wilson spent most of the season in AAA, where he pitched well.  He made appearances in five separate stints in the majors totaling just six games.  He struggled in most of those games, including a home run allowed every four innings.  BA again ranked him sixth in the system.

2020
MLB:  1-0-1, 4.02 ERA, 1.72 WHIP, 15.2 IP, 5.2 BB/9, 8.6 K/9

During the pandemic season, the Braves called Wilson up from their alternate site three times.  He made six appearances, including two starts.  BA rated him fifth in a system that wasn’t as strong as it had been a couple years earlier.

2021
AAA (Atl):  5-2-0, 4.23 ERA, 1.39 WHIP, 55.1 IP, 2.6 BB/9, 6.8 K/9
MLB (Atl):  2-3-0, 5.88 ERA, 1.69 WHIP, 33.2 IP, 3.2 BB/9, 6.1 K/9
MLB:  1-4-0, 4.91 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 40.1 IP, 2.2 BB/9, 5.1 K/9

Wilson spent the first two-thirds of the season traveling back and forth between Atlanta and Gwinnett.  The Braves optioned him to AAA or the alternate site seven separate times, with him usually making just one major league appearance each trip.  Atlanta traded him to the Pirates at the deadline.  He immediately joined the Pirates’ rotation and made eight starts before being shut down with a hamstring strain with two weeks left in the season.  He more or less alternated good and bad starts, throwing strikes but missing very few bats.  He got better results than he had with the Braves, but the improvement was BABIP-driven:  .345 with Atlanta and .250 with the Pirates.  He gave up a home run about every five innings with both teams.  Wilson had no platoon split on the season.

2022
AAA:  5-0-0, 2.97 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, 36.1 IP, 1.5 BB/9, 8.4 K/9
MLB:  3-9-0, 5.52 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, 115.2 IP, 2.5 BB/9, 6.1 K/9

Wilson opened the season in the Pirates’ rotation, but things didn’t go well.  He pitched decently in April, but in four May appearances, two of them in relief, he had a 10.80 ERA and 2.25 WHIP.  Having obtained a fourth option, the Pirates sent Wilson to Indianapolis at the end of May.  After three mostly good starts there, he returned to Pittsburgh and allowed seven runs in his first start.  The Pirates sent him down again and he bounced back and forth until returning to the majors for good in mid-July.  From that point, Wilson had a long string of starts in which he allowed three or four runs in most.  In his last start of the season, though, he worked eight scoreless innings against the Reds.  (Sadly, Derek Shelton took Wilson out even though he’d thrown only 90 pitches, and Chase De Jong blew a three-run lead, so Wilson didn’t get a win.)  It may have helped that, late in the season, Wilson swapped his change for a splitter.  For the season as a whole, Wilson got hit very hard, with opponents putting up a 287/341/485 line.  That included 20 home runs, better than one every six innings.  He didn’t miss many bats and left-handed hitters wore him out for an .893 OPS.

Wilson’s 2023 role isn’t certain.  The Pirates have a number of options for the rotation, most of whom look more promising than Wilson at this point.  It’s possible the splitter will make a difference; it could conceivably help him be more effective as a reliever.  He finally has no options left.

UPDATE:  The Pirates designated Wilson for assignment to open a roster spot for Jarlin Garcia.