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July 3, 2012

Prospects Will Break Your Heart

Bring Me the Head of Julio Teheran

by Jason Parks

The Backstory
Viewed by many in the industry as the best pitcher available in the 2007 international market, Colombia native Julio Teheran signed with the Braves for an $850K bonus, and those distinctions placed expectations on the young arm before his first professional pitch. The hype exploded after the 16-year-old flashed low-to-mid 90s heat, two plus potential secondary offerings, and impressive overall feel for the mound during the instructional league campaign, with scouts leaving his appearances with superlatives bulging from their khakis. He looked too good to be true.

Before Teheran could build on his instructional league coming out party, shoulder tendinitis put the brakes on his 2008 season, and the Braves protected their investment by limiting the 17-year-old to only six short-season starts. Despite the shoulder concerns, the total package was still turning heads, as the command profile looked above-average, the fastball was working in the low-90s with relative ease, the curve was showing a tight rotation and depth, and the changeup was emerging as his best offering, a pitch with excellent deception out of the hand and late action to the arm side.

The 2009 season saw Teheran return to the Appalachian League for seven starts before getting the push to full-season ball, where the 18-year-old continued to wow all eyes that happen to observe the prize. Despite a wiry frame that could best be described as immature, Teheran was able to display impressive velocity, working anywhere from 91-96 mph with his fastball. His feel for pitching was just as impressive as his raw stuff, and scouts and prognosticators alike were starting to throw frontline projections on him.

The Braves took the governor off the young arm in 2010, and Teheran exploded into the rarified air of the prospect world. Spanning three levels, the 19-year-old shoved a 93-97 mph fastball down hitters’ throats, learned to miss more bats with his ever-improving curveball, and his changeup continued to be a monster pitch. Teheran’s control was sharp, his command was refining, and he showed a mature feel for setting up hitters with sequence. Questions remained about his delivery and his frame, as the former could get a bit jerky and noisy, and the body still appeared under-developed, so more strength