MLB 2020: Did Touki Toussaint do enough against Toronto to become Atlanta Braves starting pitcher?
Last month, this time around, Atlanta Braves pitcher Touki Toussaint had tested positive for Covid-19. Doubts were cast, but he seemed to have erased them out of existence on August 6 when he put on a scintillating performance on the field against Toronto Blue Jays. The 24-year-old registered a career-high nine strikeouts to give the Braves an advantage. His stats were mighty impressive by the time of the mid 8th — IP 6.2, R 3. H 4, BB 0, and K 9.
These are staggering stats and Braves fans watching the game would have salivated at the curveballs he dished out. An 86mph splitter would have to be the highlight in one of the nine strikeouts. For the Haitian-American pro, it has been quite the journey since he was dubbed as the next big thing in baseball since 2014. He was picked by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the first round in the 2014 MLB draft with a whopping $2.7M signing bonus.
His first professional season ended with an 8.48 ERA totaling over 12 appearances. In 2015, he was traded to the Atlanta Braves where he finished the season with a 4.83 ERA in 17 starts. Doubts sprung and the dip in performance was attributed to the pitcher not making use of the curveballs. However, it was a matter of time before he improved on his changeup and made a few tweaks to his pitching delivery in 2016.
Fans on Twitter were ecstatic as they showered lavish praise on Toussaint for his electric performance. "Touki is the key to the season. If he excels, Braves can contend. If he doesn't, who else is going to help Fried?" wrote one of the fans.
Touki is the key to the season. If he excels, Braves can contend. If he doesn't, who else is going to help Fried?
— Don't be Karen, wear a mask (@smithtodd6) August 7, 2020
"Love you, Touki. Regardless of the result, this was an amazing night for him. Stuff is always there, but he was fluid and mechanics were in sync. And he showed the depth of his stuff. Keep it going," was one of the accolades the pitcher received.
Love you, Touki. Regardless of the result, this was an amazing night for him. Stuff is always there, but he was fluid and mechanics were in sync. And he showed the depth of his stuff. Keep it going.
— David Lee (@David11Lee) August 7, 2020
"At this moment, I would vote for Touki Toussaint for a fairly high-ranking government position" read one of the tweets.
At this moment, I would vote for Touki Toussaint for a fairly high-ranking government position
— Doc Herbert (@BravesHerbert) August 7, 2020
"Dammit he couldn’t hold the win for Touki. Today is the day that Touki Toussaint officially became an Atlanta Brave."
Dammit he couldn’t hold the win for Touki. Today is the day that Touki Toussaint officially became an Atlanta Brave.
— Jarf Dorfelson (@JDunnah) August 7, 2020
It might have been a decent outing for Toussaint against the Mets a day ago, but with some good consistent pitching, he could be a prime contender in nailing a spot in the Braves' rotation for the rest of the year. To be a starting pitcher isn't an easy task and today's performance hopefully puts him in that line-up.
The Braves will play the Phillies on August 7.