Atlanta Braves Five Reasons They Can Compete in 2018
By Kit Anderson
4. Julio Teheran must go back to being Julio Teheran
Julio Teheran remains the biggest mystery to me on the Braves current roster. Teheran has proven his talent level putting together four good seasons and one great season in 2014 when he had an ERA of 2.89 and pitched 221 innings.
That season by itself could be the exception but you add in the other two seasons where he finished with an ERA under 4 and a fourth season when his ERA sat at 4.04 with over 200 innings pitched and it is easier to say that last season’s numbers were the oddity.
Last season Teheran pitched to the tune of a 4.49 ERA struggling to pitch deep in games and looking nowhere close to as dominant as in past seasons.
Fast forward to this season and it has been more of the same with an early ERA over 7 and base runners everywhere in his first three games with a whopping 11 runs in 14 innings.
Hardly the stuff we are used to seeing from Teheran. Add in decreased velocity and there is more than enough reason to worry.
My opinion? Teheran is better than this and will bounce back as the season moves forward. If he doesn’t the Braves have very little hope of competing. Especially with a rotation with a lot of questions. Mike Foltynewicz is struggling with consistency and the aforementioned Newcomb a question mark.
No question about one thing, however, the Braves need Julio Teheran to go back to being the Teheran of old. If he doesn’t this team has no chance to compete this season.