WATCH: Allan Winans throws first career MLB strikeout

Winans threw his first strikeout against the Brewers in the second inning.

Allan Winans just got his first career strikeout vs the Milwaukee Brewers.

Winans, a 2018 17th rounder by the New York Mets out of Campbell University, signed for only $10,000 out of college. He established himself as an intriguing relief prospect during his time in New York's minor league system, but Atlanta grabbed him in the 2021 Rule 5 draft and converted him into a starter.

7-3 with a 2.81 ERA in his 18 AAA Gwinnett appearances this season, he's struck out 89 batters in his 102.2 innings pitched. Not featuring overwhelming stuff, Winans has a six pitch mix and relies on location and avoiding barrels to be successful. His most frequently thrown pitch in Gwinnett this season is his changeup, thrown 38% of the time and getting around 31.2% CSW. It pairs well with his four-seam fastball, which averages right at 90 mph but locates really well, with low whiff numbers (7.2%) but remarkably high CSW numbers (32.3%) for a fastball - most fastballs average in the high teens to low 20s in CSW. Five of his six pitches (the cutter is the only exception) feature a CSW over 30%, and he's walked only 6.5% of batters in AAA this season (fifth-lowest among qualified pitchers in the AAA International League) with a groundball rate over 50% and a barrel rate of 7.4%.

You can watch the punchout below.

.@a_winans7 first career strikeout!#ForTheA pic.twitter.com/7SCdxsyTVK

— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) July 22, 2023

Pitching Matchup for the Atlanta Braves and Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday, July 22nd

As we mentioned above, Allan Winans makes his first career MLB start tonight. 7-3 with a 2.81 ERA in his eighteen Gwinnett appearances this season, he's struck out 89 batters in his 102.2 innings pitched. Not featuring overwhelming stuff, Winans has a six pitch mix and relies on location and avoiding barrels to be successful. His most frequently thrown pitch in Gwinnett this season is his changeup, thrown 38% of the time and getting around 31.2% CSW. It pairs well with his four-seams fastball, which averages right at 90 mph but locates really well, with low whiff numbers (7.2%) but remarkably high CSW numbers (32.3%) for a fastball - most fastballs average in the high teens to low 20s. Five of his six pitches (the cutter is the only exception) feature a CSW over 30%, and he's walked only 6.5% of batters in AAA this season (fifth-lowest among qualified pitchers in the AAA International League) with a groundball rate over 50%.

Facing off against Atlanta is RHP Adrian Houser. The 30 year-old righty is 3-2 with a 3.79 ERA in his twelve appearances (ten starts) this season, with 39 strikeouts in his 57 innings. The start to his season was delayed due to a groin strain in spring training, and after debuting in early May, he's moved back and forth between the rotation and the bullpen this season. Several Braves are familiar with him - Eddie Rosario is 1-3 with a HR and 4 RBIs, while Ronald Acuña Jr is batting .429 against Houser. Austin Riley, who is in the middle of a heater right now is 3-8 against Houser with three RBIs but no home runs.

How to Watch the Atlanta Braves and Milwaukee Brewers on Friday, July 21st

First pitch of tonight's game is scheduled for 7:15 PM ET and it's a national broadcast on Fox. The radio call, with Ben Ingram, is available locally on 680 AM/93.7 FM The Fan or outside the Atlanta market on the Atlanta Braves Radio Network or MLB.com.

---

Check out Braves Today on Socials!
Follow Braves Today on Twitter!
Like Braves Today on Facebook!
Check out the homepage for more Atlanta Braves News!
Subscribe to Braves Today on YouTube!
Get Exclusive Braves Merchandise from FOCO