Matt Wisler

Early life

Wisler was born in Bryan, Ohio on September 12, 1992 as one of three children to parents Bob and Sue.

Career

Wisler was drafted by the San Diego Padres in the seventh round of the 2011 Major League Baseball Draft out of Bryan High School in his hometown. In his senior season, Wisler pitched to a 6–1 record, recording a 0.17 ERA and striking out 71 hitters over 42 innings, while allowing 13 hits and seven walks. He had signed a national letter of intent to play college baseball with the Ohio State Buckeyes, but chose to sign with the Padres.

In 2012, pitching for the Fort Wayne TinCaps, Wisler went 5–4 with a 2.53 earned run average and 113 strikeouts in 114 innings pitched. He started 2013 with High-A Lake Elsinore, going 2–1 with a 2.03 ERA with 28 strikeouts in 31 innings. He was promoted to the Double-A San Antonio Missions on May 6, 2013.

The Padres invited Wisler to spring training in 2014, but he did not make the team. Wisler split the 2014 season between the Double A and Triple A levels, recording a 4.42 ERA, and 10–5 record, along with 136 strikeouts over  146  ²⁄₃ innings pitched with the Missions and El Paso Chihuahuas.

In 2015, Wisler was again invited to spring training. On April 5, 2015, he was traded to the Atlanta Braves, along with Carlos Quentin, Cameron Maybin, Jordan Paroubeck, and a draft pick, in exchange for Craig Kimbrel and Melvin Upton, Jr. He was then sent to Triple-A Gwinnett. On June 19, 2015, Wisler was called up to the major leagues, and that night he made his major league debut as the starting pitcher against New York Mets, a game in which he earned the win. He pitched eight innings to pick up the win, the first time a Braves pitcher had accomplished that in his debut since John Smoltz's debut performance. Wisler recorded a 9.49 ERA from August 1 to September 3, and was demoted to the bullpen. Fellow rookie pitchers Manny Banuelos and Mike Foltynewicz suffered injuries later that month, and Wisler was reinserted into the starting rotation. He started another five games to finish the season, and compiled a 2.33 ERA during that period. In Wisler's final start of the year, he pitched  8 ²⁄₃ innings of a 2–0 win against the St. Louis Cardinals. In 2015, he was 8-8 with a 4.71 ERA in 20 games (19 starts).

Wisler began the 2016 season third in the Braves starting rotation, making his season debut on April 8 against the Cardinals. On April 17, Wisler recorded his first major league save, helping the Braves secure a sweep of the Miami Marlins. He pitched effectively as a starter until May, recording a 3.16 ERA in ten starts. In his following ten starts, Wisler pitched to a 7.71 ERA and allowed 16 home runs. His batting average against also rose, and as a result, the Braves demoted Wisler to Gwinnett on July 28. The team announced on August 24 that Wisler would be recalled the next day to start against the Marlins. He pitched well against the Arizona Diamondbacks and San Diego Padres, and left the latter start with a strained oblique. After missing two weeks, Wisler faced the Marlins twice and Washington Nationals once. In 2016, he was 7-13 in 27 games (26 starts) with a 5.00 ERA. In the offseason, Wisler pitched in the Dominican Winter League for Tigres del Licey.

Wisler was called up for the first time during the 2017 season on April 23.

Pitching style

While in the minor leagues, Wisler was known for his changeup. However, during his rookie year with the Braves, he began pairing his fastball with a slider instead, throwing his changeup on only 8.5% of pitches.