Braves Question #5

After a weekend of computer problems, back to the countdown.


2011 MLB Season Preview

Biggest questions for the Braves:

5. Who is going to be the 5th starter?

This will be the most talked about decision for the Braves spring training. Even though the centerfield decision between Schafer and McLouth will be more important as far as the season goes, we saw enough of the candidates for the 5th starter job last season to make sure that everyone has an opinion.

This wouldn’t even be a question if it weren’t for the injury to last year’s 5th starter Kris Medlen. Medlen started 14 games and went 6-2 with a 3.68 ERA before having season-ending Tommy John surgery. The procedure will all but assure that Medlen will miss the entire season.
Following the injury, the Braves are left with a few good choices.

The first man to get a chance to replace Medlen in 2010 is the man I believe will most likely be the 5th starter, Mike Minor. While Minor’s numbers didn’t jump out at you last year, his poise and determination, (as well as talent), seem almost too much to keep him off the field. Giving the
Braves a left-handed arm in the rotation isn’t a bad thing either. The job will be Minor’s to lose, but if he does, the Braves have some capable back-up plans.

Brandon Beachy will also get a look in the spring. He pitched well for the Braves last September, but is still learning how to pitch at the major league level. Beachy could be a valuable piece of the Braves bullpen if option number 3 on our list gets the sayonara from the front office.

Kenshin Kawakami has been one of Frank Wren’s only misses after becoming the General Manager of the Braves. Kawakami has been on the trading block, but no one wants him. Because he is still around, and owed so much money, the Braves may give him a look just to see if he could finally reach the potential they thought he had when they signed him after the 2009 season. If he makes the team, but not the rotation, look for Kawakami to come in for mop up duty when the Braves are being blown out early in games.

Randall Delgado and Arodys Vizcaino are two young pitching prospects that are probably still a year away from contributing to the major league club, but in a pinch, we might see one or both of these guys fill in a spot start if there is an injury.

The most intriguing possibility is Julio Teheran. Some scouts have compared Teheran to a young Pedro Martinez, and if the 5th starter spot is still in limbo come the summer (June), Teheran might just be called up to see what he can do on the major league level. Waiting to start the “how long until we have to pay him what he is worth” clock is exactly what the Braves did with Tommy Hanson in 2009, and it might have cost them a chance at the playoffs. Let’s hope that the Braves bring Teheran up sooner rather than later if Minor and Beachy struggle.