Matthew Robert Wisler (born September 12, 1992), nicknamed Wis, is an American

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

who is a free agent. He was drafted by the

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penna ...

out of high school in the seventh round of the

2011 Major League Baseball draft The 2011 Major League Baseball draft was held from June 6 through June 8, 2011, from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. The Pittsburgh Pirates selected Gerrit Cole out of the University of California, Los Angeles, with the first ...

. He made his MLB debut in 2015. He has played for the

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. The Braves ...

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West division. The team joined the American League ...

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. The team is named after the Twin Cities area w ...

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Yor ...

, and

Tampa Bay Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. Since its inception ...

Early life

Wisler was born in

Bryan, Ohio Bryan is a city in, and the county seat of, Williams County, Ohio, United States. It is located in the state's northwestern corner, southwest of Toledo. The population was 8,729 at the 2020 census. History Bryan was platted in 1840 by John ...

, and is one of three children of Bob and Sue Wisler. He attended Bryan High School in his hometown. In his senior season, Wisler pitched to a 6–1 record, recording a 0.17

ERA An era is a span of time defined for the purposes of chronology or historiography, as in the regnal eras in the history of a given monarchy, a calendar era used for a given calendar, or the geological eras defined for the history of Earth. Comp ...

and striking out 71 hitters over 42

inning In baseball, softball, and similar games, an inning is the basic unit of play, consisting of two halves or frames, the "top" (first half) and the "bottom" (second half). In each half, one team bats until three outs are made, with the other team ...

s, while allowing 13 hits and seven walks. He signed a national

letter of intent A letter of intent (LOI or LoI, or Letter of Intent) is a document outlining the understanding between two or more parties which they intend to formalize in a contract, legally binding agreement. The concept is similar to a Heads of agreement ( ...

to play college baseball with the

Ohio State Buckeyes The Ohio State Buckeyes are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Ohio State University, located in Columbus, Ohio. The athletic programs are named after the colloquial term for people from the state of Ohio and after the state tree ...

, but chose to sign with the Padres.

Career

San Diego Padres

Wisler was drafted by the

in the seventh round of the

. In 2012, pitching for the

Fort Wayne TinCaps The Fort Wayne TinCaps are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres. They are located in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and play their home games at Parkview Field. They won their lone Midwest Le ...

, Wisler went 5–4 with a 2.53

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...

and 113

strikeouts In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It usually means that the batter is out. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters, and is deno ...

in 114

innings pitched In baseball, innings pitched (IP) are the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of batters and baserunners that are put out while the pitcher is on the pitching mound in a game. Three outs made is equal to one innin ...

. He started 2013 with High-A

Lake Elsinore Lake Elsinore is a natural freshwater lake in Riverside County, California, located east of the Santa Ana Mountains and fed by the San Jacinto River. Originally named ''Laguna Grande'' by Spanish explorers, it was renamed for the town of Elsino ...

, going 2–1 with a 2.03 ERA with 28 strikeouts in 31 innings. He was promoted to the Double-A

San Antonio Missions The San Antonio Missions are a Minor League Baseball team of the Texas League and the Double-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres. They are located in San Antonio, Texas, and are named for the Spanish missions around which the city was founded. ...

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 innings pitched with the Missions and

El Paso Chihuahuas The El Paso Chihuahuas are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres. They are located in El Paso, Texas, and play their home games at Southwest University ...

(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

, along with

Carlos Quentin Carlos José Quentin (born August 28, 1982) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Chicago White Sox and San Diego Padres. In 2008 and 2011, Quentin was sel ...

Cameron Maybin Cameron Keith Maybin (born April 4, 1987) is an American former professional baseball outfielder and current broadcaster. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Detroit Tigers, Florida / Miami Marlins, San Diego Padres, Atlanta Brave ...

, Jordan Paroubeck, and the 41st overall draft pick, in exchange for

Craig Kimbrel Craig Michael Kimbrel (born May 28, 1988) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the San Diego Padres, Boston Red Sox, Atlanta Braves, Chicag ...

and

Melvin Upton, Jr. Melvin Emanuel Upton Jr. (born August 21, 1984), known as B. J. Upton, is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays / Rays, Atlanta Braves, San Diego Pad ...

He was then sent to Triple-A

Gwinnett Gwinnett County ( ) is located in the north central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. It forms part of the Atlanta metropolitan area. In 2020, the population was 957,062, making it the second-most populous county in Georgia (after Fulton ...

. 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 the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...

. He pitched eight innings to pick up the win, the first time a Braves pitcher had accomplished that in his debut since

John Smoltz John Andrew Smoltz (born May 15, 1967), nicknamed "Smoltzie" and "Marmaduke", is an American former baseball pitcher who played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball from 1988 to 2009, all but the last year with the Atlanta Braves. An eight-time A ...

'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 Manny is a common nickname for people with the given name Manuel, Emanuele, Immanuel, Emmanuel, Herman, or Manfred. People * Manny Acosta (born 1981), Panamanian pitcher in the Mexican Baseball League * Manny Acta (born 1969), Dominican Major ...

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 innings of a 2–0 win against the

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals hav ...

. 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 The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The club's home ballpark is LoanDepot Park. The franc ...

. 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 run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

s. His

batting average against In baseball statistics, batting average against (denoted by BAA or AVG), also known as opponents' batting average (denoted by OBA), is a statistic that measures a pitcher's ability to prevent hits during official at bats. It can alternatively b ...

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 The Arizona Diamondbacks (colloquially known as the D-backs) are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The f ...

and

, 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 Dominican may refer to: * Someone or something from or related to the Dominican Republic ( , stress on the "mi"), on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles, in the Caribbean ** People of the Dominican Republic ** Demographics of the Domi ...

for

Tigres del Licey Tigres del Licey (English: Licey Tigers) is a professional baseball team in the Dominican Professional Baseball League (LIDOM). The team was founded in 1907 and based in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. It is one of two LIDOM franchises based in ...

. 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. He appeared in 7 games for the team in 2018, logging a 1-1 record and 5.40 ERA.

Cincinnati Reds

On July 30, 2018, the Braves traded Wisler, Lucas Sims, and

Preston Tucker Preston Thomas Tucker (21 September 1903 – 26 December 1956) was an American automobile entrepreneur. He is most remembered for his Tucker 48 sedan, initially nicknamed the "Tucker Torpedo", an automobile which introduced many features ...

to the

in exchange for

Adam Duvall Adam Lynn Duvall (born September 4, 1988) is an American professional baseball outfielder who is a free agent. He played college baseball at the University of Louisville. Duvall was drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the 11th round of the 201 ...

. In 11 appearances for Cincinnati, he posted a 2.03 ERA. He was designated for assignment on March 28, 2019, after

Derek Dietrich Derek Richard Dietrich (born July 18, 1989) is an American professional baseball second baseman and outfielder who is currently a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Miami Marlins, Cincinnati Reds and Texas Rangers. ...

and José Iglesias had their contracts selected.

San Diego Padres (second stint)

On April 1, 2019, the Reds traded Wisler to the Padres for Diomar López. Wisler was designated for assignment on June 29. In 21 relief 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

in exchange for cash considerations. In 23 games (8 starts) he was 1-2 with a 6.04 ERA, and 6 walks and 29 strikeouts in 22.1 innings.

Minnesota Twins

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

. In 18 games (4 starts) during the 2020 season, Wisler had an ERA of 1.07 in innings, while striking out 35 batters, a career-high 12.4 strikeouts per 9 innings. Despite his solid performance that year, Wisler was non-tendered by the Twins on December 2.

San Francisco Giants

Wisler signed a one-year deal with the

on December 8, 2020. After struggling to a 6.05 ERA in 21 appearances for the Giants, Wisler was designated for assignment on June 9, 2021.

Tampa Bay Rays

On June 11, 2021, Wisler was traded to the

in exchange for minor league pitcher

Michael Plassmeyer Michael Plassmeyer (born November 5, 1996) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies. Amateur career Plassmeyer atte ...

. On September 5, 2022, Wisler was designated for assignment. He rejected an outright assignment on September 7 and became a free agent.

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.

Personal life

Wisler and his wife, Madie, married in 2019 in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wisler, Matt 1992 births American people of Dutch descent Arizona League Padres players Atlanta Braves players Baseball players from Ohio Cincinnati Reds players El Paso Chihuahuas players Fort Wayne TinCaps players Gwinnett Braves players Gwinnett Stripers players Lake Elsinore Storm players Living people Louisville Bats players Major League Baseball pitchers Minnesota Twins players People from Bryan, Ohio San Antonio Missions players San Diego Padres players San Francisco Giants players Seattle Mariners players Tampa Bay Rays players Tigres del Licey players American expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic