As Bartolo Colon and R.A. Dickey continue to prove Father Time is not a myth, the youngins are making noise on the farm. One has to wonder how much longer the team will wait until they opt to give a younger guy a chance. While it may very well take an injury for one of these guys to get a crack, if the team truly cares about being competitive they must use the next handful of starts to evaluate whether Colon or Dickey are worth keeping. Let’s take a look at when some of these guys could realistically see the bigs.
Lucas Sims
The first prospect that will get a crack at the rotation is Lucas Sims. If a spot opens up one way or another, it will be interesting to see whether the team will opt to go with Sims or whether they will give Matt Wisler, Aaron Blair, or even Josh Collmenter or Kris Medlen a spot. Either way, with multiple starters struggling on short-term contracts, the Braves will likely cut bait on one of them eventually. After a brilliant start to the season, Sims has had a rough past few starts. If he can prove that his beginning of the season was no fluke, he should be in the rotation by season’s end.
Projected ETA: July
Sean Newcomb
Sean Newcomb has been very good for Gwinnett as well. He has posted great numbers in his first time at the AAA level, but has still struggled with walks. Newk could easily get the first nod over Sims when duty calls, but if it is up to the team they would likely rather have vets eat innings for now while he refines his control. Newcomb has still struggled with issuing walks, but the team may just throw him out there anyways at some point since he has been so great overall. He will likely get a shot to get some starts if trades come about or injuries pop up, but my money is on a September call-up.
Projected ETA: SeptemberÂ
Patrick Weigel
Despite one forgettable start against the Durham Bulls, Patrick Weigel has been terrific between his time in AA and AAA this season. Weigel has only made five starts for Gwinnett, so he will not be up in the near future. If he keeps up what he has done the past two seasons, he could have a shot at a September callup, but my money is on an early 2018 callup.
Projected ETA: Early 2018
Braves fans, who would you like to see get the first crack at the rotation?