Braves prospects Kyle Wright, Bryse Wilson join Julio Teheran as opening series starters
In a surprise twist even for a shorthanded rotation, the Atlanta Braves will hand the ball to two pitchers with one combined major-league start in the opening series of their division title defense.
Top pitching prospects Bryse Wilson and Kyle Wright, two of the top-rated right-handed pitching prospects in baseball, will start the second and third games of the 2019 season, respectively, against the the Philadelphia Phillies. Veteran starter Julio Teheran will make his franchise record-tying sixth consecutive Opening Day start for Atlanta on March 28.
Left-handers Sean Newcomb and Max Fried are scheduled to make starts in the second series of the campaign against the Chicago Cubs.
General manager Alex Anthopoulos pointed to the Phillies' lineup being right-handed heavy as a primary reason for Teheran taking the ball on Opening Day — Philadelphia now features quality right-handed hitters Rhys Hoskins, J.T. Realmuto, Jean Segura and Andrew McCutchen — so Wilson and Wright, both of whom had strong spring training performances, made sense as the Braves wait for Mike Foltynewicz and Kevin Gausman to return from injury setbacks.
Wilson, 21, claimed a 3.29 ERA in 13 2/3 innings pitched during Grapefruit League action, striking out 13 with only two walks.
The 23-year-old Wright struck out 18 batters with four walks over the course of 12 2/3 innings this spring, though his ERA ballooned during a rough final outing.
Wright, the Braves' No. 4 overall prospect, will be making his first career start in the majors against the Phillies.
Wilson's lone big-league start arrived in a crucial series sweep against the Pittsburgh Pirates last summer as he tossed five scoreless innings on the road. A fourth-round pick in the 2016 draft, the Durham, N.C., native joins Daniel Norris (Toronto), Rick Porcello (Detroit) and Jose Fernandez (Miami) as the only pitchers since 2010 to start in their team's season-opening series before turning 22 years old.
