House That Hank Built
Fansided

Who is in the Atlanta Braves starting rotation in 2020?

By Matthew Browning

TORONTO, ON - AUGUST 27: Mike Soroka #40 of the Atlanta Braves delivers a pitch in the second inning during an MLB game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on August 27, 2019 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - AUGUST 27: Mike Soroka #40 of the Atlanta Braves delivers a pitch in the second inning during an MLB game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on August 27, 2019 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 5
Next
PHILADELPHIA, PA – MARCH 31: Starting pitcher Kyle  Wright #65 of the Atlanta Braves delivers a pitch in the second inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on March 31, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Drew Hallowell/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA – MARCH 31: Starting pitcher Kyle  Wright #65 of the Atlanta Braves delivers a pitch in the second inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on March 31, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Drew Hallowell/Getty Images) /

Some will stay, some will go

There are only five rotation spots, so there are some young pitchers who just don’t seem to have a spot.

They have outgrown Triple-A and ready to be full-time rotation pieces, but it is likely that place is not in Atlanta.

The first is Kyle Wright, who not long ago was the Braves top pitching prospect. Wright went 0-3 with a 9.72 ERA and a 2.100 WHIP in four starts this season.

But at Gwinnett, Wright was solid going 11-4 with a 4.17 ERA. He has nothing left to prove in the minor leagues.

Bryse Wilson had a really promising start against the Phillies in July, where he allowed two earned runs over six innings in his lone win of the season. But other than that, Wilson allowed 14 earned runs in 13 innings.

Much like Wright, Wilson was good at Triple-A, going 10-7 with a 3.42 ERA and a 1.207 WHIP.

It was widely thought that Touki Toussaint was going to be part of the rotation for many years after he had a strong September last year.

But Toussaint has regressed considerably this year. He has a 5.62 ERA in the big leagues, but more concerning is the 7.49 ERA at Triple-A.

Contrary to the three pitchers listed above, it’s safe to say Ian Anderson will have spot in the rotation whenever he proves he is ready, which looks to be soon.

There is a reason why the Atlanta Braves refused to include Anderson, who is a consensus top 50 prospect in all of baseball, in any trades over the past year.

He will likely start the season in Triple-A and spend the first few months of the season there, but he will undoubtedly be in Atlanta at some point next year.

One of the organization’s most improved and emerging pitching prospects is Kyle Muller, who went 7-6 with a 3.14 ERA at Double-A Mississippi this year.

Next year seems unlikely for Muller’s debut, but given his trajectory, he will be in Gwinnett at some point then Atlanta probably in 2021.

Prospects are far from a sure thing and that is obvious with the pitchers who probably don’t have a place in Atlanta anymore.

It’s safe to say there will be some trades this winter with some of these guys.

Home/Braves News