The Atlanta Braves spent the offseason revamping their starting rotation. Today’s roundtable discussion centers on who will be the team’s pitching MVP?
Who will be the Atlanta Braves most valuable pitcher?
(Scott Coleman): I’m going to be a little bold and say Mike Foltynewicz. He ended last year in a nice way with a 3.68 FIP during the second half, and he seemed to get a little better and more comfortable every time he took the mound. He’s had an entire offseason to rest and prepare after a scary medical issue sidelined him late in 2015. Call it a hunch as he enters his third year with the Braves, but I think we’re in for a big season.
(Kris Willis): Mike Foltynewicz is the name that everyone seems to be talking about but I think Julio Teheran is the right answer for at least one more season. A lost season in Atlanta hid the fact of how good Teheran actually was last season. There is no reason that can’t and won’t continue this year.
(Brad Rowland); I think I’m too boring to pick anyone other than Julio Teheran. If the now-veteran right-hander does what everyone expects him to do, there is an extreme likelihood that Teheran is the best and, by extension, most valuable pitcher on the roster. Could Mike Foltynewicz zoom past him if everything comes together? Could a healthy Jaime Garcia post a low-3.00’s ERA across 180-200 innings? Sure, but Teheran is so much safer that I can’t go any other way.
(Ivan): Bartolo Colon, both in on-field and entertainment value. There’s a decent chance that Colon gets traded, though, so I could see both Jaime Garcia (if he is healthy) and Julio Teheran here as well, so Teheran may be the safest bet in terms of finishing the season with the team.
(Garrett Spain): Julio Teheran, but it will be much closer than you might assume. Mike Foltynewicz is poised for a huge breakout this season, and I predict that for stretches of the season will be clearly the best pitcher on the roster. The problem is, he has never pitched more than 152 innings in his professional career, so fatigue and just the general inconsistency with a player of his age and mold will allow Teheran’s consistency and experience win out over the course of a season. Still, if I had one game to win, by season end Folty should be the clear choice.
(Matt Powers): I like Scott’s bold choice of Folty, and can also see a breakout this year, but I have to go with Julio Teheran. Julio is one of the most under-rated starters in baseball and has been pitching at a very high level with consistent results outside of one down year in 2015. We’re talking about a guy who outside of 2015 hasn't had a WHIP above 1.17 or ERA above 3.21 in his other three seasons. On top of that he's still not at his age 27 season(it’s next year), a year many believe is a peak year for a ballplayer. That should have him talked about as one of the best in the game, and is why I can't pick anyone ahead of him.
(Demetrius Bell): It’s going to be Julio Teheran, but I’m sure you all know how excited I am to see Bartolo Colon in Braves uniform this season. A rotund 44-year-old with nearly 20 years of major league experience under his belt and a fastball that barely breaks 90-mph should not be productive in the current baseball landscape of 2017, but here he is. I’m looking forward to any and all .gif-able moments that Big Sexy will deliver this season.
With that being said, I’m hoping that Teheran can continue to improve and if he does then that’ll be excellent news going forward and he’ll easily be the MVP on the mound.
(Dillon Cloud): I’ll go with Mike Foltynewicz here. The most impressive aspect of his spring showing thus far has been the clear improvement in demeanor and mental toughness. Last season Folty could be a head case whenever something went wrong, such as a missed call or an error behind him. It was almost a guarantee that he would run into trouble soon thereafter, but in watching him this spring both on-field and in interviews Folty seems to have a more level-headed approach. A revised approach combined with his electric stuff could be dangerous, and I predict that we will see a marked improvement from the 25-year-old in 2017.
(Jeff Jones): Folty, I like him starting the year in the 5th rotation spot. Takes the pressure off him and he won’t be there come the All Star Break. He had basically no offseason coming into 2016 and put up about league average numbers in his first full season in the big leagues. He improved his numbers all year including a 3.17 FIP over his final 7 starts with a 4.2 K/BB ratio. He is fully healthy and has a little over 200 big league innings under his belt from which to grow.
(Eric Cole): I am going to say Teheran although my head wants to take Folty and my heart wants to take Colon. Teheran needn’t be an ace, he just needs to be consistently good and give the Braves quality innings. At this point, his upside and who he is is a pretty known quantity, but he has consistently outperformed his peripherals and he provides excess value in weird places (see: pickoffs). I see him being a tick better than last season (which was right in line with his career averages) given that I don’t THINK he will start the season as poorly as he did last year.
(Kyle Parmley): Just because nobody has said anything about him, I’ll say Jaime Garcia. He has had his struggles in recent years, but when everything is right with him, he’s as effective of a middle-of-the-rotation starter you could ask for. Plus, he’s in a contract season, so he will be looking to have a strong year as his career barrels towards one final long-ish contract.
(Gaurav Vedak): I’m boring - Julio Teheran. I love everything he does. I love his presence on the mind. He’s one of my favorite players in baseball and when he’s on and has the changeup, and slider working he’s damn near unhittable. Throw in some of that added movement on his fastball that I thought I saw this spring and I expect a monster campaign from him.
You've heard from us, now let us know what you think in the comments section below.