A little while ago, left-handed pitcher Kyle Muller was deemed the number one prospect in the Atlanta Braves system.
Then, out of nowhere, the Braves, the Milwaukee Brewers, and the Oakland Athletics completed a three-team trade that sent Sean Murphy to Atlanta, William Contreras to Milwaukee, and several prospects to various landing spots.
As part of that trade, Muller went to the rebuilding A’s.
From being in danger of being optioned to Triple-A after an unimpressive spring, to being named Opening Day starter, Muller’s recent weeks have been a roller-coaster.
Kyle Muller gets the ball on #OpeningDay! 👏 pic.twitter.com/3cAwAR6RHr
— Oakland A's (@Athletics) March 24, 2023
The A’s will face Shohei Ohtani and the Los Angeles Angels on Opening Day.
Paul Blackburn and Drew Rucinski were probably ahead of Muller on the A’s depth chart when it comes to starting pitchers, but they will both start the season on the injured list.
Muller has a 5.65 ERA in 14.1 innings in spring training, so things haven’t been precisely easy for him.
Still, he had a solid 3.41 in 134.2 innings in Triple-A last season.
His MLB cameo was unsuccessful – 8.03 ERA in 12.1 frames – but there is a lot of talent in his left arm.
When all is said and done and he finished developing, he could be a mid-rotation starter.
He will need to work on his control first, as walks have been an issue at just about every recent minor (and major) league stop.
Still, he can miss enough bats to have a lasting impact on the A’s, and the team will have the patience to let him work through his struggles.
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