Baseball fans know what I’m talking about. Spring doesn’t arrive with “April Showers” or “May Flowers.” Spring isn’t here when the temperature exceeds a certain threshold. Hell, Spring’s arrival doesn’t even depend on Punxsutawney Phil‘s shadow-seeing abilities.
It arrived today, and with less than two weeks until the first Spring Training games, this baseball fan couldn’t be more excited.
Back to the pitchers: Will the Braves’ young staff made of some of baseball’s top prospects rival the Phillies’ “big four?”
Derek Lowe: If we get the Derek Lowe who pitched in September of last season, we will be in good shape. Lowe is a solid pitcher that we are, unfortunately, paying way too much for at $15 million a season. He is good for 15-17 wins and his veteran presence is important and influential among the many young starters who fill out the rest of the Braves rotation. Not to mention, Lowe has valuable playoff experience with the Red Sox and Dodgers (two bigger market cities), sporting a 3.21 ERA in the postseason.
2010: 4.00 ERA / 16-10 / 136 SO / 1.37 WHIP
Tim Hudson: Coming off a dominant 2010, fans expect nothing but great things from Hudson in 2011. Finishing fourth in Cy Young Award voting, Hudson relinquished any doubts that he would not be able to be successful after receiving Tommy John’s in 2008. Hudson has potential to be a 20 game winner in 2011 after winning 17 in 2010 with a 2.83 ERA.
2010: 2.83 ERA / 17-9 / 139 SO / 1.15 WHIP
Tommy Hanson: Another stud from the Brave’s seemingly endless supply of farm talent. After a dominant rookie campaign in 2009, going 11-4 in 23 starts, Hanson struggled in 2010 going 10-11 with a respectable 3.33 ERA. He has great stuff and potential to be a great pitcher. Will 2011 be a breakout year for Tommy Hanson?
2009: 2.89 ERA / 11-4 / 116 SO / 1.183 WHIP
2010: 3.33 ERA / 10-11 / 173 SO / 1.174 WHIP
Jair Jurrjens: JJ is an interesting case, as some project him to be traded at the deadline if he can bring a strong return. Jurrjens only started 20 games in 2010 due to an injured hamstring, leading to a disappointing followup to his strong 2009 campaign. With so many wildcards and “ifs” in the Braves starting lineup, it would be interesting to see what Jurrjens could bring in a trade this summer.
2009: 2.60 ERA / 14-10 / 152 SO / 1.214 WHIP
2010: 4.64 ERA / 7-6 / 86 SO / 1.393 WHIP
Mike Minor: The Braves projected fifth starter after showing that he was capable as a big league starter when called up in 2010. Some might remember Minor‘s impressive 12 strike-out performance against the Cubs in August. Ranked 4th among Braves prospects by Baseball America, Minor joins the company of Freddie Freeman, Julio Teheran and Arodys Viscaino on this impressive list.
2010: 5.98 ERA / 3-2 / 43 SO / 1.574
Also worth mentioning…
Kris Medlen: Medlen was huge for the Braves in 2010, filling in for injured Jair Jurrjens and becoming the Brave’s 5th starter. He started 14 games and went 6-2 on the season with a 3.68 ERA. Expect to see Medlen doing big things for the Braves again in 2011.
Brandon Beachy: Only pitched 15 big league innings, so there isn’t much to draw on from that. However, Beachy‘s minor league stats are impressive. Since 2008, the 24-year-old is 11-4 with a 2.55 ERA and 228 SO in 208 innings pitched. Expect to see Beachy in the bullpen or even the starting rotation sometime in 2011.
Julio Teheran: Top Atlanta prospect with nasty stuff. He is going to Disney with the rest of the Braves this Spring as a non-roster invitee. Nothing but a bright future for this 20-year-old kid.
