Julio Teheran, Mike Minor Selected for “Futures Game”

Written by Ben on June 22, 2010 – 7:48 pm

With the surplus of arms the Atlanta Braves have in the minors, it is no surprise that both members chosen to represent the Braves in the futures game are pitchers. Mike Minor was the Braves first round selection last year and Julio Teheran was one of the top international prospects when he was signed in 2007.

Mike Minor

Some questioned Minor’s overall talent and projectability when he was drafted. Many saw him as a third starter with limited strike out ability. The southpaw has changed his perception for the better this season, as he has struck out 101 batters in 80 innings at double-A Mississippi. Expected to be a control pitcher, his strikeout total is as surprising as his walk total. His 33 walks are not an impressive number, but if he continues to strike batters out at this pace it becomes more acceptable. Minor will pitch for Team USA.

Minor’s stats: 2-6, 4.16 ERA, 80 IP, 101 K, 33 BB, 1.23 WHIP

Julio Teheran

Julio Teheran is seriously coming into his own as a 19-year-old. Coming off of a season in which his ERA was 3.65 in 14 starts, he has pitched to a 1.26 ERA in 13 so far this season between low-A Rome and high-A Myrtle Beach. Teheran has been absolutely dominant this year, striking out 10.8 batters per nine, and 11.3 in his six outings at Myrtle Beach. His 7.00 K/BB ratio is unfathomable and by the end of the year there is a very good chance of him being a top-10 prospect in all of baseball. Teheran will pitch for the International Team.

Teheran’s stats: 5-3, 1.26 ERA, 78.1 IP, 94 K, 17 BB, 0.90 WHIP

If you haven’t seen Minor or Teheran pitch live or on video yet, be sure to catch them on the futures game live on July 7 at 6 pm EST.

The rosters for both teams can be found here.


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Posted in General, Minor Leagues | 1 Comment »

Julio Teheran Is Absurdly Good

Written by Colin on June 17, 2010 – 7:40 am

Teheran pitched last night.

7 IP. 2 H. 0 ER. 2 BB. 12 K.

Holy cow! For the bigger picture, here’s his line this year at Class A Rome and High A Myrtle Beach through 13 starts.

5W, 3L, 1.26 ERA, 78.1 IP, 17 BB, 94 K, 0.906 WHIP, 5.53 K/BB

I can’t wait to get him to the majors. This guy is absurd.


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Posted in Pitching | No Comments »

Arodys Vizcaino Makes, Will Skip All-Star Game

Written by Colin on June 14, 2010 – 3:16 pm

Arodys Vizcaino is the real gem we got out of the trade sending Javier Vazquez to the Yankees. Melky may be hitting well in the last week or so, but Vizcaino is the real gem. Why, you ask?

How’s a 9-3 record with a 2.34 ERA, 69 strikeouts, and only 10 walks? That do anything for ya? Well, it got Vizcaino selected to the Class A All-Star Game… And with damn good reason.

Vizcaino recently was promoted to high-A Myrtle Beach, so he’ll skip the All-Star game. The good news for Braves fans is that Arodys will be in plenty of All-Star games in the future if he keeps up his level of performance as he rises through the minors. His first appearance in Myrtle Beach was somewhat lackluster – Vizcaino gave up 4 earned runs in 4 innings pitched off eight hits.

Imagine the pitching rotation in a few years – it could include Tommy Hanson, Jair Jurrjens, Kris Medlen, Arodys Viscaino, and Julio Teheran. Teheran, by the way, is 4-3 this year in 12 starts split between Class A Rome and Class A+ Myrtle Beach. He’s sporting a 1.39 ERA (!!) with 82 strikeouts and only 15 walks.

Note that the Braves have more than just two promising arms in the minors. Mike Minor, Craig Kimbrel, Randall Delgado, and Zeke Spruill all landed on the Baseball America top 10 Braves prospects list before the 2010 season started. You can be certain that Arodys Vizcaino will be included in the next version of the list – if I had to guess, somewhere around where Mike Minor lies – 4th or 5th.


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Julio Teheran: Colombia Serves Up Prospects

Written by Rue on March 10, 2008 – 9:25 pm

With the recent buzz around international prospects (namely 17 year-old Julio Teheran), we figured we’d post some of what we could find.  Notable players like Edgar Renteria have been acquired from Colombian leagues, and if he’s any indication, it certainly won’t be a bad call to keep up the recruiting.  There are currently 47 Colombian players in the US major/minor systems (as well as 16 from the Dominican Republic, and 12 from Venezuela), so it seems that some of this recruiting is worth the effort.  However, since 1972, there have only been seven players to make it to the majors, the rest staying in the minors and other feeder leagues.  According to El Heraldo de Colombia, there are five major prospects in Colombia with Teheran making the biggest waves. 

It seems that every bit of information out there says the same thing about this guy.

Full Name: Julio Teheran Pinto
Age: 17 (DOB: Jan 27, 1991)
Location: Columbia
Signed: 2007 with the Braves for $800,000 (highest ever for a Colombian)

He was recruited by five different organizations, and threw a 92 mph fastball in try-outs. Typically he averages about 94 mph.  Baseball is in his blood; apparently his uncle, Miguel Teheran was a stand-out player (and is a current talent scout in Colombia – for the Braves, might I add). He’s tall and thin, 6’2.4″, 189 pounds. Growing up, he was called “the Horse” because of his size, force, and conviction. He has a consistent curve ball and sinker, and his other pitches are at least average. He’s a Curt Schilling and John Smoltz admirer, and according to sources will be playing AA ball in 2008.  Many hope that in three years he will continue in the footsteps of Emiliano Fruit, the first Colombian pitcher in the Major Leagues.  

Venezuelan Daniel Mavarez (Barranquilla pitching coach) says Teheran’s the best he’s ever seen for his age in Latin America. For the past two years, the Yankees, BoSox, Mets, Cardinals, and Tigers have been eyeing him, and are rumored to have even offered more money for him than the Braves laid out. Why did he land in Atlanta? Well, we can apparently thank Uncle Miguel for that one, too – and maybe a bit to Edgar Renteria for having a brother who has been linked to Teheran in Columbian league play, and for being a “magnificent” mentor to young Julio when he came to visit Atlanta.  We’ll definitely let you know more as we find it out, because we’re just as interested as the next guy.

The other prospects include Jair Fernandez, Ronald Ramirez, Donovan Solano, and Martin Vega, all of whom are currently playing in single A clubs for the Mariners, Astros, Cardinals, and Mariners, respectively.  Hopefully we will be able to see some great things out of these international prospects, and we’ll definitely keep our eyes on Teheran for the next few seasons.  


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Posted in Minor Leagues | 9 Comments »

Mailbag: Future Rotation Options?

Written by Colin on February 29, 2008 – 8:49 am

Eric wrote the BravesBlast mailbag and asked a question about the future of the rotation.

Being that we have two old guys (Glavine and Smoltz), Mike Hampton who is heading into the last year of his contract and has serious health risks….What are the chances that our young arms like Jair, Chuck James, Morton, Reyes, etc will be able to carry our rotation of the future? Hoping that Tim Hudson will be around to hold down the 1 slot.

Great question, Eric. Our rotation may be dangerous this year and maybe even some of the guys last into next year, but your question is very valid – John Smoltz even said in November that “You can’t have a whole staff of old farts.”  So what will the rotation of the future look like?

Tim Hudson is signed at least through 2009 with an option for 2010, so we’ve got him here for another year or two, at least.  He likes it here and has been shown in the past to be open to contract extensions during the year, which is good.

Let’s break it down and look at the players and the consensus scouting reports.

Jair Jurrjens – Not only does Jurrjens come into spring training as one of the top prospects for this year’s rotation, he has promise for the future, too.  He throws strikes, keeps the ball low, and I’ve seen projections that he could be a future #2 starter.  He’s the Braves’ top pitching prospect according to multiple sources.

Jo-Jo Reyes – Jo-Jo doesn’t crack any top prospect lists, but that’s probably because he’s already played in the big leagues some last year.  It was a bit rocky, but Frank Wren remains confident in Reyes and his stuff – and scouting estimates are that his raw talent is on the same level as or slightly better than Jurrjens.  He needs a bit more development, but we’ll probably see him a bit in years to come.

Chuck James – James has been dealing with some rotator cuff issues that I think are somewhat related to his unorthodox delivery.  That said, James will likely benefit from another year making a run at the rotation (Cox seems to like him for the fifth rotation spot, if he’s healthy), as well as being around Tom Glavine – who has had very positive effects on young left-handers before.  If James has recurring health issues, there are some concerns, but he has potential to eat up innings in the future.

Julio Teheran - This kid won’t be in the big leagues for a while now, but he’s listed as the second best pitching prospect in the organization.  He has a mid-90s fastball, a high 70s late biting curve, and a nice changeup.  Three solid pitches, signed very recently as the top international pitching prospect, and a future so bright he’s probably wearing sunglasses all the time.  Oh, and he’s only 16. Read more »


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Posted in General, Mailbag | 5 Comments »

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