Wilson shows promise in confident debut
PITTSBURGH -- Less than five months since beginning this season at the Class A Advanced level and a little more than 24 hours after learning he would make his Major League debut, Bryse Wilson entered the history books and provided another glimpse of the pitching depth within the Braves' organization.
As he stood on the mound at PNC Park during the Braves' 1-0 win over the Pirates on Monday, Wilson added to Pittsburgh's recent offensive woes and became the youngest Major League pitcher on record to win a 1-0 game in his big league debut. The stoic 20-year-old right-hander allowed three hits and pitched around three walks over five steady innings.
"That's about as good as it gets," Braves manager Brian Snitker said. "I was impressed all the way around. He carried himself like I expected."
Wilson's meteoric rise through Atlanta's system was accelerated around noon ET on Sunday, when he learned he was being promoted from Triple-A Gwinnett to start Monday's game. A few hours later, he boarded the Braves' charter flight to Pittsburgh and had some time to think about all that has transpired since the Braves selected him in the fourth round of the 2016 MLB Draft.
"It feels like forever ago," Wilson said when asked about the days he spent as a football and baseball star at Orange High School in North Carolina.
Ranked by MLB Pipeline as the 13th-best prospect in Atlanta's farm system, Wilson certainly didn't appear to be just a little more than two years removed from high school during this 87-pitch debut. He leaned on a fastball that touched 97 mph, found success with a slider that has improved significantly since he turned pro and competed with his changeup, the influential pitch he developed over the past year.
"I kind of expected to have a good year, but this year has been a lot of fun," Wilson said. "I've just been blessed with opportunities."
Wilson will return to Gwinnett's roster on Tuesday. But his debut essentially guaranteed that when rosters expand in September, he will return, either to make additional starts or to be used as a reliever. The Braves could opt to use him and another hard-throwing top prospect, Kyle Wright, to add depth to the bullpen.
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"We knew this was going to be one start right now, and it was good to see," Snitker said. "He's got to feel really good about everything he's worked toward and getting a win in his first game in a game like this. You're going to see him again for probably a long time."
Wilson -- at 20 years, 243 days old -- became the youngest Major Leaguer to start a game this season. He also joined Mike Soroka and Kolby Allard as Braves starting pitchers who have made their debuts before turning 21 this year. Each earned a win in his debut.
"For as young as they are, they've been pretty impressive," said Braves outfielder Nick Markakis, who plated the lone run in Monday's victory.