Atlanta Braves: Is Julio Teheran Ready to Impact MLB This Season?

Young pitching talent breeds expectations, which in turn could manifest itself into a burden not easily overcome. Expectations can also become a sense of pride that pushes one to work harder.

It’s not only the responsibility of the pitcher himself, but also the organization as a whole to manage those expectations until the pitcher is Major League ready.

A pitcher’s on-field performance usually tells a club when he is ready to be promoted up the minor league rung, but fast-tracking a player to a level his age cannot handle can sometimes stunt the development process.

The Tampa Bay Rays have received the most praise over recent years for how they develop young pitchers, whether it was recognizing David Price could handle the fast track to the big leagues or the slow, steady progression they allowed Matt Moore to take.

With that said, the Atlanta Braves don’t have to take a back seat to any front office when it comes to developing a farm system full of pitching.

Julio Teheran leads a group of young arms (Teheran, Arodys Vizcaino, Randall Delgado and Mike Minor) that exceeded expectations even before general manager Frank Wren proclaimed them “untouchable” during last season’s trade deadline.

Teheran’s rise through the minors has been a quick one since signing with Atlanta as a 16-year-old kid from Colombia. In four seasons, he has seen every level in the system, albeit they were short visits until he made 24 starts for Triple-A Gwinnett last season.

Marty Reed, Gwinnett’s pitching coach, recognizes Tehran’s ability at such a young age. Reed spoke with Ashley Marshall of MiLB.com and said, "For a kid to be 20 years old and to be where he's at, he's well above the curve. He would be a junior in college right now. It's incredible.”

Probably without realizing it, Reed also heightened Teheran’s lofty expectations when he stated, "He has superstar written all over him. Considering his age, I would say he has a chance to be a Pedro Martinez-type of guy. He has a great future."

After such a successful minor league career to this point and a brief cup of coffee in the big leagues last year, is Teheran ready to impact Major League Baseball this season?

Looking strictly at his “stuff”, the consensus would be that he is MLB-ready today. The fastball sits 93 to 95 mph, and he can run it up to 97 if needed. Combine that with a definite swing-and-miss changeup that he’s not afraid to double up on during his pitch sequence and a third offering of a 75 to 76 mph curveball with late break down in the zone.

There is also nothing else for him to prove at the minor league level. He dominated Triple-A hitters last season while he accumulated a 2.55 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 122 Ks and an average against of .221.

Bryce Harper, the top prospect in baseball, was included among those dominated. Given the start for the World Team in the Futures Game, Teheran faced off against Harper. After a swing-and-miss strike two changeup, Teheran froze Harper with an outside fastball for the strikeout looking.

Unfortunately, along with expectation comes criticism. Fans of all sports expect instant success regardless of age or experience. Making his MLB debut at the age of 20 years old, it wasn’t unrealistic or unexpected to see Teheran struggle.

During a small sample size of only 19.2 IP, he struggled with his command, posting 3.66 BB/9 and allowing 4 home runs, which was one fewer than he allowed in 144.2 IP at Gwinnett.

Of all the pitches Teheran threw during his five appearances with the Braves, 40.1 percent were thrown for balls. Compare that to rookie pitchers Minor (35.5 percent) and Brandon Beachy (35.6 percent). With command seemingly the issue, the answer could be as simple as trusting his pitches and attacking the strike zone early in the count.

Because Teheran is considered the top right-handed pitching prospect in the minors, he is routinely compared to Moore, the top left-handed prospect. Unlike Teheran, Moore’s debut in the majors was considered wildly successful (K/BB 15:3 in 9.1 IP).

What is not mentioned when those comparisons are made is that Moore has pitched 114 more innings in the minor leagues than Teheran, which is nearly a full season. That experience gained should not be overlooked when comparing the two pitchers.

The ideal situation to start the 2012 season would be for him to get 80-plus innings in the minors and allow him to build on the experience he gained from his late season call-up.

When he gets to Atlanta could depend less on the ideal and more on whether there is an injury to the rotation, a trade involving Jair Jurrjens or the possibility that he earns an Opening Day roster spot during spring training.

Once Teheran is ready, there is little doubt he will make an impact on who wins the National League East and all the memories of a struggling call-up will soon become blurred.