Julio Teheran, Atlanta Braves
4.50 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, 22.8% strikeout rate, 12.8% walk rate in 30 IP
Teheran’s relationship with the Braves has been an interesting one. He’s been a mostly durable and above-average starter throughout his young career but has experienced bumps in the road while also finding himself in more trade rumors than he’d probably like.
Then again, he’ll be Atlanta’s Opening-Day starter, the sixth consecutive time he’s earned that honor.
Admittedly, Teheran’s April 2018 performance wasn’t terrible, but it started off what was a roller-coaster year. The right-hander produced three months with an ERA north of 4.50, as well as three months with that number below 3.75. His SIERA has been above 4.60 each of the past two seasons partly because of a rise in walk rate, which culminated last year with a career-high 11.6% season-long mark.
In a competitive NL East, the Braves could’ve easily added more to their rotation, but have opted to go with a pretty young group of hurlers — especially to start the year. Teheran will be tasked with setting the tone, so Atlanta would benefit from a solid start.
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