When Julio Teheran was sparingly used in the playoffs last year, many did not expect him to be on the roster in 2019. However, here we are in mid-March, and as is tradition in Atlanta, Julio Teheran is looking like the Opening Day starter.
Of course, this would not be the case if Mike Foltynewicz were healthy. However, Teheran has shown some signs in Spring that suggest he could be an intriguing bounce-back candidate in 2019, striking out a ton of batters, which can be attributed to his return of velocity.
Teheran’s velocity, as well as his performance, has been dropping consistently over the years in Atlanta, evidenced in this chart:
Julio Teheran's fastball velocity… I hadn't realized this trend was this long and this stark. pic.twitter.com/RZI4hSWnit
— Mike Petriello (@mike_petriello) March 13, 2019
However, Teheran has sat in the 91-93 mph range this Spring. It’s early, but the results are showing. Perhaps there is a reason the Braves held on to Teheran. Nevertheless, he will have to serve as the veteran of the Braves’ rotation this year with Anibal Sanchez up in D.C., and he will be toeing the mound on Opening Day as the Braves look to repeat as Division Champs in 2019.