Matt Wisler

Matthew Robert Wisler (born September 12, 1992) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Minnesota Twins of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has played in MLB for the Atlanta Braves, Cincinnati Reds, San Diego Padres, and Seattle Mariners.

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

San Diego Padres

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 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  ⁄₃ innings pitched with the Missions and El Paso Chihuahuas (giving up 21 home runs in 146.2 innings). In 2015, Wisler was again invited to spring training.

Atlanta Braves

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, 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. 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 ⁄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. In 2016, at Triple-A Gwinnett he was 2-1 with a 3.71 ERA, and in the major leagues he was 7–13 in 27 games (26 starts) with a 5.00 ERA (giving up 26 home runs in 156.2 innings). In the offseason, Wisler pitched two games in the Dominican Winter League for Tigres del Licey.

Wisler was called up for the first time during the 2017 season on April 23. In 2017, he was 0–1 with an ERA of 8.35.

Cincinnati Reds

On July 30, 2018, the Braves traded Wisler, Lucas Sims, and Preston Tucker to the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for Adam Duvall. He was designated for assignment on March 28, 2019, after Derek Dietrich and José Iglesias had their contracts selected.

Return to the Padres

On April 1, 2019, the Reds traded Wisler to the Padres for Diomar López. Wisler was designated for assignment on June 29. In 21 appearances for the Padres, Wisler was 2-2 with an ERA of 5.28 in 29 innings.

Seattle Mariners

On July 4, 2019, Wisler was traded to the Seattle Mariners in exchange for cash considerations.

Minnesota Twins

On October 29, 2019, Wisler was claimed off waivers by the Minnesota Twins.

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.