Despite Flaws, Bryse Wilson Has Been Effective For Pirates Of Late

Bryse Wilson’s 2022 season did not start out on the right foot for the Pittsburgh Pirates. In his first nine appearances through the end of June, Wilson posted an 0-4 record with an ERA of 8.29.

Opposing hitters were having their way with the right-hander, compiling a .331 batting average with a .931 OPS.

The struggles led to multiple options to Triple-A in hopes the right-hander would be able to figure some things out in Indianapolis.

Fast forward to when he was recalled again at the start of July, and Wilson has been a much more effective pitcher for Pittsburgh.

In his last six appearances, all of which were starts, Wilson has been giving the Pirates quality innings for the most part. In 32.1 innings over those six starts, Wilson has owned a solid 3.34 ERA.

Thanks to the quality efforts, Wilson has earned his first two wins of the season, one of which came in his last time out in an 8-1 Pirates’ win over the Orioles on Sunday.

Now, even through on the surface Wilson has been impressive of late, there are still some concerning flaws. For starters, Wilson has been a bit prone to surrendering the longball, as he has yielded six over his current stretch of strong play.

Three of those did come in a single inning against the Brewers at the beginning of the month, and all six have come with the bases empty, limiting the potential damage.

Another concern is that Wilson has racked up just 20 strikeouts over those 32.1 innings (5.6 K/9). While the strikeouts are low, the walks are miniscule, as the righty has issued just three free passes in that same span (0.8 BB/9).

In total, Wilson’s 4.84 FIP since July suggests he has maybe been more lucky than good. But to Wilson’s credit, he has done a stellar job of keeping the Pirates in position to win just about every time he’s taken the mound of late.

To see how sustainable Wilson’s recent results are remains to be seen, but the Pirates will need the 24-year-old to continue to deliver quality innings. This is especially true as someone will need to fill the void left by the trade of Jose Quintana to the St. Louis Cardinals.

Now, will Wilson be able to post similar numbers to Quintana, who was by far Pittsburgh’s most consistent and effective starter since April? That’s a big ask. But if Wilson is able to provide consistency while anchoring a rotation spot through the end of the season, the Bucs will surely be pleased with that.

Wilson’s next test on the mound will come on Friday night when the Pirates play the Giants at Oracle Park in San Francisco.