Braves throwing in the towel?

Baseball Prospectus has him at 53. Baseball America is his high water scouting mark, and even then he's substantially below the likes of true potential aces like Gray, Syndegaard, Glasnow etc.

Sickels also says Wisler's upside is a #3 starter. Nothing wrong with that, but not elite.

Steve, yep. No GM is gonna trade a consensus Ace in waiting for a 1 Inning reliever, even the best 1 IP reliever.

I'll take Baseball America's knowledge over Baseball Prospectus' any day. They see him as a future #2 starter (or a #3 on a pennant contender)--which is an elite prospect (I'm willing to listen to different requirements)--in this scouting report by Matt Eddy:

"Scouting Report: Wisler tops out at 96 mph and sits 92-94 with above-average sink on his two-seamer, riding life on his four-seamer and at least average present control of his entire repertoire. His plus, low-80s slider features tight break, both lateral and vertical, and projects as a true strikeout weapon when he spots it to both sides of the plate. He must locate his breaking ball more precisely and improve his arm action on a fringe-average, fading changeup to better combat lefthanders, who hit .291 and slugged .517 against him in the PCL in 2014. He also throws a slow curveball in the low 70s for a different look. A thoughtful, analytical pitcher, Wisler can be too much of a perfectionist at times, trying to hone all his pitches in-game, rather than going with what works best that particular start. Once Wisler learns to repeat his mechanics and arm slot, scouts expect that his overall control will play as plus, and he has walked just 2.4 batters per nine innings for his career. He logged 147 innings in 2014, even with the early struggles at Triple-A, and never has missed a start as a pro."

http://www.baseballamerica.com/minors/2 ... prospects/

And whether Wisler ends up as a #2 or a #3 on a pennant contender, he's an excellent get for the Braves.

I am enjoying the "he's a 2 as long as the team is the shits, otherwise he's a 3" definition of "elite".

I am enjoying the "he's a 2 as long as the team is the shits, otherwise he's a 3" definition of "elite".

A team that isn't a pennant contender isn't necessarily "the shits;" so that's not what BA said. That being said, a #2 starter and a #3 starter--as opposed to the second or third starter on a staff--is a #2 or #3 starter no matter what team he is on. So, the "pennant contender" comment is a bit of a misstatement. He should have said he will be a #2 starter or a high-level #3. Either way, it's a prediction of a bright future for Wisler.

A thoughtful, analytical guy throwing in the low to mid nineties with good control sounds pretty good to me regardless of what number you want to assign to him.