Per a team release, the Braves have recalled top prospect Touki Toussaint from Triple-A Gwinnett and optioned another, righty Kyle Wright, to the minors.
Toussaint, the 16th overall pick in the 2014 draft, was acquired from Arizona in a curious 2015 salary dump that also sent righty Bronson Arroyo to Atlanta. The 22-year-old broke out in a big way last season, striking out over 10 men per nine at both AA-Mississippi and AAA-Gwinnett en route to a late-season, five-start cameo in the bigs. Command has long been the question for the flamethrowing Toussaint, whose stuff – a double-plus fastball and knee-buckling curve – is said to be some of the minors’ best. Per David O’Brien of the Athletic, Toussaint will begin his 2019 MLB work out of the Braves’ bullpen.
Wright, a 23-year-old righty selected 5th overall in the 2017 draft, and even more highly-regarded than Toussaint in most circles, has struggled mightily in his initial MLB taste. In three starts this season, the former Vanderbilt product walked (10) nearly as many as he struck out (11), and allowed a staggering four homers in just 14 innings pitched. Last season’s cameo wasn’t much better, so it may indeed be time for the 6’4 righty to simmer longer below. Wright tore through the Atlanta system in just a year and a half, but has yet to post the dominant strikeout rates the club surely hoped to see against lesser competition.
So much for that long leash
Waste of an option.
Agreed
Shocker
The Braves have the most pitching depth in baseball and what they have is very good. Waiting in the wings are Folty and Soroka who are almost ready. Wright is far down the food chain.
The amount of walks all the Braves top pitching prospects throw is concerning
I don’t think a single one of them has turned 23 years old yet. I’m giving em some time, they all have high upside and will come into their own soon enough.
It took Smoltz and Glav a while too.
thats young pitchers for you.
The way people seem to be hitting homers this year, 4 homers given up in 14 innings doesn’t even seem that horrible. A starter going seven innings a couple of games and giving up 3-4 homer-based runs in each of those games? Definitely not great but seems like what I’ve been seeing a lot of this year.
I don’t understand why the need to rush these kids
There were plenty of cheap options to fill out the staff like they did with Sanchez last year
The kids have much higher upside than whatever is out there that’s cheap. And it’s extremely unlikely that they’re going to strike gold with a Sanchez level talent again. It’s like saying why don’t the angels just go draft another Mike trout (exaggeration)
Braves front office back themselves into a corner. Sold everyone on how many arms coming up and refused to spend on a true Vet to stabilize things…so now we’ll be swapping all these young arms in and out all season which displays rushing them. If we just invested in a free agent there wouldn’t be this need and would’ve just let them grow naturally.
How many free agents were any more likely to keep us in a game and available one a one year deal?
why does it have to be a 1 year deal? Start with keeping Anibal Sanchez at least, even at 2 years. Get Kuechell for 3 years cause he far better than anything we’ve seen except for Fried. Could’ve gave Kuechell Teherans spot in the rotation cause it’s time to move on from him….Corbin would’ve been a pipe dream but at least a ‘shopping on any aisle’ candidate
Are you kidding? Anibal Sanchez is 0-1 with a 6.52 ERA this year. Small sample size not withstanding, he has quite a large body of similar work from his time in Detroit. The Braves struck gold with Sanchez…LAST YEAR. Betting on his to repeat for two more is a risky bet.
As for Keuchel, he hasn’t been consistently great. He’s been consistently good one year, average to below average the next. He also hasn’t been incredibly durable in the last 3-4 years. His last three years ERA were 4.55, 2.90, and 3.74. That says the IF he ages consistently, and can maintain that average, he’ll have about a 3.80 ERA over the next three years. You’d also have to pay over the QO, so, let’s say 3/$60m.
2019 rotation options:
Gausman: 2.84
Teheran: 4.71
Toussant: 0.00
Fried: 0.00
Foltynewitz: ???
You’re telling me you want to make that bet that he’s going to be better then Teheran? Btw, if you can say the Coors Field effect happened for Teheran in that one start, he’s got a 3.38 in his other starts.
Corbin, again, is a flawed product. He had ONE good year in Arizona. It’s reckless to give that kind of deal to him…and I think the Nats will be bit by it, and frankly, before this year is done.
BTW…Newcomb, as MISERABLE as he lookeded: 4.38 ERA. Not that much better then 3.8.
Think we might need Leo mazzone’s magic back or at least mcdowell’s..
Glavine and smoltz are on TV, cmon maddog the job is screaming your name!
Smart move. It is not like Touki does not have the same habit of walking people. No matter who they throw in there, the team is set up to lose because the entire pitching staff is a disaster.
haha its a bit of patch job due to injuries but otherwise Id say they are doing better than a lot of people were giving them credit for. if newcomb and fried continue to pitch well, folty comes back like he was last year and gausman pitches like he did last year they have a decent rotation
I imagine that Toussaint will appear out of the bullpen if needed the next few days with Foltynewicz taking his roster spot soon (unless someone else crashes and burns or becomes injured).
Touki is literally playing behind Newcomb right now. Folty should be back by or around ‘Wright’s’ next turn, so he’ll fill that hole. Then it’s Newk on the leash.
Cya Wright, Cya newk, hello touk!