A's Name Kyle Muller Opening Day Starter

Kyle Muller has gone from the odd-man out in the Atlanta Braves rotation to the Opening Day starter for the Oakland Athletics. Muller was acquired from the Braves as part of the Sean Murphy deal over the off-season. 

The 25-year-old left-hander has some Major League experience, totaling 49 innings over two seasons, but his rookie status is still intact. He has made 12 appearances (11 starts) and holds a 5.14 ERA and a 1.37 WHIP. He is currently the A's number five prospect on MLB Pipeline.

Muller started off the spring hot, and was one of the early standouts from camp after tossing two scoreless frames in his first outing. In four appearances he holds a 5.65 ERA across 14.1 innings, has struck out ten, and allowed 20 hits. The one bright spot in his stat line is that he's limiting his walks, allowing just three. Muller has has issues with his command in the past, so this will be a development to keep an eye on. 

The A's will open the season on Thursday, March 30 against a familiar foe in the Los Angeles Angels. Shohei Ohtani will be getting the start for the Halos, and in his last two starts of 2022, Ohtani faced the A's and held them to one run and three hits across 13 innings. He struck out 16 and walked just two. He also just closed out the World Baseball Classic for Team Japan, and did so by striking out his Angel teammate, Mike Trout, in an at-bat that included three swinging strikes. 

Muller will have his work cut out for him. 

The Angels projected lineup is filled with right-handers, including new additions Hunter Renfroe and Gio Urshela. The only lefty that may step into the box against Muller could be Ohtani. 

This start will be a tough assignment, but Muller has the arsenal to have success in the big leagues, and he'll get a good early test to begin the 2023 season.