Derick Hingle-USA Today Sports
Julio Teheran is one of the many promising young pitchers the Atlanta Braves have in their organization, but his struggles in major league starts so far have left some fans wondering if he can live up to the hype. The best way to handle his development is to be patient and let him work out his issues in the Braves rotation.
His fastball has a tendency to straighten out, and he has not yet figured out a way to properly integrate his changeup into his arsenal in the majors. But Braves fans must exercise patience with the young fireballer. Many forget that he is still only 22, an age where many major league pitchers still haven’t put everything together yet.
Atlanta signed him at the age of 17 from Colombia. He has been with the organization for so long, and the hype surrounding him only briefly subsided last year.
Many were more lenient on former Brave Randall Delgado. He also got off to a slow start last year and his ERA hovered around the low and mid four range. Even after finishing with a mediocre 4.37 ERA, some still preferred Delgado and thought he was more major league ready than Teheran.
Teheran’s stuff in the minor leagues worked both for and against him in terms of development. He was able to rise through each level quickly, but he raised fans’ expectations, perhaps too much. His high 90s fastball got everyone’s attention. And when the word “phenom” started getting thrown around, people couldn’t wait to see what this kid could do. He may not truly be a young Pedro, but he should end up near the top of the rotation.
Atlanta’s other options for the fifth spot in the rotation will not work. J.R. Graham is older than Teheran but is still at Double A Mississippi. Brandon Beachy won’t return until June at the earliest. Cristhian Martinez is on the DL and has never started a game in his career. Stick with the Colombian kid at number five.
All you need to do is look to Mike Minor‘s example last year. Minor struggled with consistency in 2011 as a rookie and did not get off to a good start in 2012 after demanding to be placed in the rotation. Instead of dumping the young pitcher, Atlanta let him develop and overcome his confidence and “nibbling” issues. Minor down the stretch was one of the best pitchers in baseball and has continued to play well this season. Teheran could follow this same path.
The Braves need to use their early lead to their advantage. Julio Teheran is not going to go out there and put it all together right away. The Braves don’t need to lean on him for wins like the Mets do with Matt Harvey. In the long run they will be better off letting him take his lumps and gain experience.
Morgan Carter is an Atlanta Braves writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @MorgsCarter, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google
