Pittsburgh Pirates: Breaking Down Each Breakout Pitching Candidate

Bryse Wilson

The Pittsburgh Pirates acquired Bryse Wilson as one of the two young pitchers heading back to Pittsburgh for right-handed reliever Richard Rodríguez. A former consensus top 100 prospect, Wilson will be earning his first shot at regular playing time in the major leagues.

So far, Wilson only has 116 innings in the majors across four different seasons, with 74 of those innings coming in 2021. Wilson hasn’t pitched well when given the opportunity with a 5.55 ERA, 5.47 FIP, and 1.577 WHIP. But you also have to remember he was optioned 16 different times from 2018 until he traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Wilson also has some solid numbers at Triple-A to back up his potential. In 198.1 innings, Wilson has a 3.86 ERA, 3.72 FIP, and 1.24 WHIP. The right-hander may only have a 1.18 HR/9 and 22.8% strikeout rate, but he made one thing clear; he was going to limit walks. Wilson was a master at locating in the strike zone, allowing just a 5.4% of batters to reach via free pass walk. This resulted in a fantastic 4.18 K/BB ratio.

Wilson isn’t a hard thrower, and he only averages 93-96 MPH with his four-seam fastball. The right-hander throws a curveball, change-up, and slider to go along with his fastball. His offerings have average break, with both his fastball and curveball having plus spin.

Wilson has talent. He was a former consensus top 100 prospect, and he was among Mike Soroka, Ronald Acuna Jr., Austin Riley, Ian Anderson, and Ozzie Albies as the Atlanta Braves’ top prospects. With this being his first season where he’ll get a chance at a rotation spot without the threat of being demoted a day later, you can’t help but be intrigued by what he might do in 2022.