The trade the Braves made with the Padres in April 2015 was a salary dump. To get the Padres to take struggling slugger Melvin Upton, the Braves had to send them elite closer Craig Kimbrel.
But the Braves also got pitching prospect Matt Wisler in the deal and that’s turned out to be the key part of the trade for the Braves. Wisler has developed into the most consistent of the young pitchers the Braves acquired over the past two years who’ve made starts of the big-league club.
Wisler, 23, finished his rookie season of 2015 strong and it’s carried over to this year. He held the Phillies to one run over 6 2/3 innings in the Braves’ 7-1 victory Friday to improve his ERA to 2.93, second to Julio Teheran (2.73) among Braves starters.
Wisler said he had some idea during spring training that he could be successful this season.
“I felt good,” he said. “I went through my struggles last year in August, rebounded in September. I felt good, my stuff felt good. I’ve still got a long ways to go. I’ve got a lot of stuff I can work on. I’m still not as sharp as where it could be right now. I will continue the process and go to work every day.”
Wisler has allowed three earned runs or less in six of eight starts. In his past four starts he’s posted a 1.80 ERA (six earned runs in 30 innings) with 20 strikeouts and six walks (one intentional).
The trade that included Wisler went through on the eve of opening day last year and he began the season at Triple-A Gwinnett. He made his big-league debut on June 19 and had good results through July before fading in August but ultimately finishing strong.
“When we got him, it’s like, ‘Wow, this kid is pretty good,’” said Braves interim manager Brian Snitker, who was the Gwinnett manager last season. “I really liked everything about him: the work ethic, the makeup the stuff. Shoot, I didn’t meet him until after spring training was over and he showed up the first day.
“It’s been a pleasure. He has picked it up, the things they’ve worked with him on all last year. It looks like he’s a quick study and is feeling pretty good about himself right now.”
