Atlanta Braves Clippings Thursday, January 21, 2016 Braves.Com
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Atlanta Braves Clippings Thursday, January 21, 2016 Braves.com Around the Horn: Starting pitching Mound questions abound for Braves as Spring Training nears By Mark Bowman / MLB.com | @mlbbowman | January 20th, 2016 ATLANTA -- Over the past month, the Braves have been lauded for the significant return they gained in exchange for Shelby Miller. But now they will have to spend the next few months dealing with a suspect starting rotation that includes Julio Teheran and a whole lot of uncertainty. If shortstop Dansby Swanson, outfielder Ender Inciarte and pitcher Aaron Blair all live up to the expectations that were set when they were acquired from the D-backs in exchange for Miller, then this will be a trade that will be celebrated in Atlanta for many years to come. But the immediate consequences could prove painful for the Braves as they spend the next couple of seasons watching their top prospects endure inevitable growing pains. The Braves' rotation will likely assume many different looks this year as they take advantage of an opportunity to test some of their young starters. Some of the pitchers who debuted last year might be weeded out at some point during this summer to make room for the next wave of starting- pitching prospects, which includes both Blair and Sean Newcomb. Newcomb (acquired in the November trade that sent Andrelton Simmons to the Angels) and Blair became Atlanta's top two pitching prospects after they were acquired this offseason. There is a strong possibility that both could join Atlanta's rotation at some point this year. Of course, the same could also be said in reference to Chris Ellis, Tyrell Jenkins and Lucas Sims. Before evaluating their next wave of starting pitchers, the Braves need to get a better feel for some of the young pitchers who were introduced to Atlanta's rotation last summer -- Matt Wisler, Manny Banuelos, Mike Foltynewicz and Williams Perez. As things stand, it appears the Braves will begin the season with a rotation that includes Teheran, Wisler and Bud Norris, whose one-year, $2.5 million deal positions him to become a potential trade piece at some point this summer. Teheran entered August with a 4.71 ERA and then produced some hope as he pitched to a 2.95 ERA over his final 12 regular-season starts. Norris was released by the Orioles after he produced a 6.79 ERA in 11 starts. Wisler was briefly moved to Atlanta's bullpen before ending last year's rookie season with a few encouraging starts. Obviously, there are reasons to be concerned about each of these three starters. But as things stand, they provided a little more certainty than any of Atlanta's other pitchers who will be Major League-ready at the start of the regular season. The Braves were hoping to spend last September evaluating whether Foltynewicz should be used as a starter or a reliever. They were unable to do so when the hard-throwing right-hander had a portion of his rib cage removed after he was hospitalized with Thoracic Outlet Syndrome, a condition that affects the nerves or blood vessels of the lower neck and upper chest. Foltynewicz is still attempting to regain some of the weight and strength that he lost while recovering from this ailment. Thus, he'll come to camp surrounded with some of the same uncertainty that surrounds Banuelos, who showed some promise last year but also created more concerns about the durability of his left elbow. If Banuelos is healthy, the Braves could put him in the rotation with the understanding that an innings limit will prevent him from serving as a starter over the entire season. Though Perez does not possess the upside of Foltynewicz, Banuelos, Wisler or any of the club's starting-pitching prospects who could debut this year, he might provide just enough certainty to gain one of the last available spots in the rotation. One of the other spots could go to either Jhoulys Chacin or Kyle Kendrick, a pair of veterans who will come to Spring Training with a Minor League contract. It's hard to predict how Atlanta's rotation might look at the beginning of the year and even harder to project the different looks it might assume throughout the summer. But with Newcomb, Blair and so many other talented prospects on the horizon, the Braves are starting to get excited about the opportunity to get back to those more comfortable days, when they could project the makeup of their rotation with far greater certainty. 2016 Prospect Watch: Top 10 left-handed pitchers Dodgers' Urias again takes top spot, but Rays' Snell closes gap By Jonathan Mayo / MLB.com | @JonathanMayo | January 20th, 2016 MLBPipeline.com will unveil its 2016 Top 100 Prospects list on Friday, Jan. 29, on MLB.com. The Top 50 will be revealed during a one-hour show on MLB Network at 9 p.m. ET. Leading up to the release, we look at baseball's top 10 prospects at each position. Just how high in demand is left-handed pitching? Six of the 10 pitchers on this year's Top 10 left-handed pitching prospects list are relatively recent acquisitions by their organization. Two come via the 2015 Draft, but four of the southpaws on this list have been traded. Three of those four deals happened at last July's Trade Deadline. There may have been a lot of change on this list -- in addition to the trades, there are five new names on this Top 10 from a year ago -- but there is stability at the top. For the second year in a row, teenager Julio Urias is in the top spot, and for good reason. But he has some good competition nipping at his heels. 1. Julio Urias, Dodgers He doesn't turn 20 until August, and he's already knocking on the door. Urias has an outstanding combination of stuff and pitchability well beyond his years. He has three plus pitches with outstanding command. The only thing he doesn't have is innings. Urias has yet to top even 90 innings in a season, but that shouldn't hold him back for too long. 2. Blake Snell, Rays Few prospects in the game improved their stock more than Snell did in 2015. It was a true breakout for the projectable lefty, one that started with a streak of 46 consecutive scoreless innings. It kept going as he dominated across three levels and led the Minors in ERA. He's ready to help out with the Rays now. 3. Steven Matz, Mets It hasn't been the most direct path for Matz, who missed nearly three years of competitive pitching coming back from injuries. The wait was worth it, as Matz pitched his way to the big leagues and even into the postseason in 2015. The further removed from injury he gets, the more the concern about his durability dissipates. Matz is the only one on this list with big league time. 4. Sean Newcomb, Braves The 2014 first-rounder is exactly what teams look for in a starting pitcher: Big, strong, durable and with plus stuff to boot. That's why the Braves wanted him in the Andrelton Simmons deal. He needs to improve his control, but when he does that, he has front-line starter written all over him. Those Jon Lester comparisons aren't too far-fetched. 5. Tyler Jay, Twins Jay, the first 2015 draftee on the list, went No. 6 overall to the Twins. A reliever at Illinois, Jay has the repertoire and the command to be a starter, and that's how Minnesota plans to develop him. He could have at least four Major League average pitches with above-average control when all is said and done. The transition to starting might slow Jay's progress a bit, but it's also nice to know that if it doesn't work, he could have an impact in the bullpen in a hurry. 6. Josh Hader, Brewers Hader's pure stuff has been in such high demand, he's been traded twice, first from the Orioles to the Astros, then from the Astros to the Brewers in the Carlos Gomez deal at the Trade Deadline last July. Milwaukee has him right as he's peaking after a huge 2015 season and an absolutely dominant performance in the Arizona Fall League. Once thought to be a future reliever, Hader now looks like he can be much more. 7. Cody Reed, Reds Another on this list who took a huge step forward with his 2015 campaign, he's also one who was traded, this time in the Johnny Cueto deal with the Royals. Thought of as a projectable lefty when drafted, Reed has come a long way, with two plus pitches in his fastball and slider and a third average pitch (his changeup). Improvement in his command has him looking like a very solid big league starter in the near future. 8. Sean Manaea, A's The big Indiana State product could've been the top pick in the 2013 Draft, but he slid because of injury concerns. Manaea missed the first half of 2015 with an unrelated injury, but he pitched his way to Double-A and was sent to the A's from the Royals in the Ben Zobrist Trade Deadline deal. He's a mid-rotation workhorse, at the very least. 9. Amir Garrett, Reds A two-sport star who spent a couple of years shuttling between college basketball and the Reds' system, Garrett has started to take off since he turned to baseball full-time.