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Bryse Wilson, 20, makes franchise history in Atlanta Braves' win over Pirates

Wilson, a North Carolina native and Triple-A standout, became the youngest starting pitcher in Braves history to record a win–at 20 years, 7-plus months.
Credit: Justin K. Aller

When MLB experts and pundits talk glowingly about the Atlanta Braves' deep farm system, there's really no need to embellish.

Take the case of Bryse Wilson.

On Monday, the 20-year-old made his major-league debut with Atlanta, thus becoming the franchise's youngest starting pitcher since Julio Teheran in 2011; and Wilson rewarded the Braves' faith by blanking the Pirates over five stellar innings, allowing only three hits and three incident-free walks.

And Wilson's timing couldn't have been more perfect, since the Braves conjured up just enough offense to escape PNC Park with a 1-0 victory.

For that lone run, a Nick Markakis RBI single (scoring Freddie Freeman) would eventually prove to be the game-winner.

As such, Atlanta avoided its longest losing streak for the third time this season. Twice in July, the club halted any potentially dire slides at four games; and that pattern repeated itself on Monday, thanks to six Braves pitchers (five relievers)–most notably Wilson, who became the youngest starting pitcher in franchise history to record a win.

The funny thing about Wilson: On MLB.com's official site, the Hillsborough, N.C. native ranks as only the Braves' 13th-highest prospect ... and ninth-best pitcher in the Atlanta pipeline.

However, that assessment may be well off, considering the vast majority of 20-year-old prospects aren't pitching at the Triple-A level. Covering 23 starts with the Gwinnett Stripers, Wilson boasts the following marks: 8-5 record, 3.27 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 139/35 K-BB rate and sterling K/9 rate of 10.1.

Will Wilson draw another start with the big-league Braves? That's a question for another day.

At this point, fellow rookie Touki Toussaint could make a similar case for remaining in the majors for the final stretch. Of course, 'MLB service time' plays a major factor in how personnel decisions are crafted.

With the victory, Atlanta (69-55) owns a one-game lead over idle Philadelphia (68-56) in the National League East; and if the postseason began tomorrow, the Braves would own the No. 2 seed, trailing only the Central-leading Cubs (71-52).

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