LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla -- The days of openly asking if Julio Teheran can make the National League All-Star team have passed.
(Mission accomplished in 2014.)
The days of speculating on whether Teheran -- heading into his third full season with the Braves -- can be the bankable workhorse pitcher who logs 30-plus starts annually have subsided.
(Back-to-back 30-start campaigns for 2013-14.)
And the days of wondering whether Teheran -- three runs or less allowed in 48 of his last 60 starts -- can be the Braves' redoubtable ace have also vanquished.
(Two-year averages of 14 wins, a 3.03 ERA and 178 strikeouts over 203 innings.)
So, what's next for the anchor of a starting rotation that's the formidable strength of a Braves club in transition?
"I (definitely) feel like a veteran," says the 24-year-old Teheran, who owns a sterling strikeout-to-walk ratio (356/96) since 2013. Being a No. 1 starter "is something big for me. I know that (all eyes) are on me, and I'll try to do some good things."
Quality work has been the hallmark of Teheran's career with the Braves, regardless of pecking order in the rotation. From Day 1 in the majors, the Colombian import has been a bulldog on the mound -- rarely relenting to prominent names at the plate, no matter the count or game situation.
From a splits standpoint ...
2) Charting his first 14 starts of last year, Teheran surrendered three or fewer runs 13 times.
3) For April through July last year, Teheran enjoyed at least one outing of eight- plus strikeouts per month.
Put it all together, and Teheran remains the odds-on favorite to start the Braves' season opener against the Marlins on April 6.
"He's an ace," acknowledges Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez, while stopping short of declaring or revealing his rotation order for the opening series against Miami.
* * *
Julio Teheran's fastball velocity sat 93-95 mph and frequently neared triple digits. His curveball, while erratic, showed promise. It featured a tight 11-5 break and, when thrown well, caused the Triple-A Rays to flail. His changeup was his best offering. After he established his fastball, hitters were helpless against his low- to-mid-80s changeup. -- FanGraphs.com, 2013
The above scouting report from two years ago offered a nice snapshot of Teheran, The Prospect and paints a better picture of Teheran, The Star-In-Waiting, especially when hearing the pitcher's modest, but cocksure response to the following question.
Have you added any pitches to your repertoire?
"No, I'm only (focused on building) strength," says the 6-foot-2, 200-pound Teheran, who looms bigger, stature-wise, on the mound. "I have the same pitches (from last year), and I'm just trying to get consistency with each pitch."
Teheran's eyes lit up when answering the question. That response bore the look of a friendly, but supremely confident athlete who knows he already has three "plus" pitches in the arsenal ... and that less could be more for a burgeoning superstar.
"When (Teheran) goes out there at every fifth day, he gives it everything he has," says Gonzalez. "What I've seen from him (development-wise) is just maturity. .... It's not about wins or losses, or ERA or how he pitches (overall). It's about the other four days (between starts) and the way (Teheran) goes about his business.
"When he's on the mound ... he prolongs winning streaks and stops losing streaks."
Let's check the veracity of Gonzalez's statement:
**On May 3, with the Braves mired in a four-game slide (the streak would eventually hit seven), Teheran surrendered three runs and zero walks in a gut-wrenching 3-1 defeat to the Giants. It marked the right-hander's seventh consecutive outing (all in 2014) with three or fewer runs allowed.
**On May 30, Teheran halted Atlanta's four-game losing streak, yielding only two runs and five hits (7 1/3 innings) in his team's 3-2 road win over Miami.
**On June 27, Teheran helped launch a nine-game winning streak for the Braves, fanning nine hitters (zero walks) and allowing just one run in a 4-2 victory over the Phillies.
**Five days later (July 2), Atlanta recorded its seventh straight victory -- on a streak that would max-out at nine games. For that day, Teheran gave up only one run and four hits, fueling the Braves' 3-1 win against the Mets.
**On July 31, in the early stages of Atlanta's longest losing skid of the season (eight games), Teheran was outdueled by eventual NL Cy Young Clayton Kershaw, surrendering just two runs, three walks and five hits over eight stellar innings.
**Six days later (Aug. 6), during the aforementioned eight-game losing streak, Teheran finally incurred a clunker, yielding six runs and nine hits in a sloppy 7-3 defeat to the Mariners.
How surreal was this outing? Dustin Ackley and Logan Morrison, two middling hitters not known for power surges, belted homers off Teheran.
**On Aug. 27, Teheran ended Atlanta's three-game slump, allowing just one run, two walks and three hits in a 3-2 victory over the Mets.
**And on Sept. 24, Teheran's final start of the year, the kid performed well enough (two runs allowed over five innings) to help the Braves trump the Pirates at Turner Field -- halting a five-game losing slide.
It's worth noting: Of Teheran's 33 outings last year, the anemic Braves notched six-plus runs only six times.
In the present, Teheran loosely acknowledges the 2014 squad's offensive struggles, but also doesn't see the benefit of lamenting the past.
"This is a new year. We believe in this team and we believe that everything will be different."
The 2015 starting rotation certainly bears a new look, although Teheran was still 15 days away from being the proverbial baby of this group. (That honor goes to Alex Wood.)
Presuming a season-opening five of Teheran, Wood, Shelby Miller (acquired in November), Mike Minor and Wandy Rodriguez or Eric Stults occupying the final slot, the Braves' quintet will be expected to carry a retooling club that lost a number of key parts in the offseason -- namely Jason Heyward (traded to Cardinals), Justin Upton (dealt to Padres) and Evan Gattis (traded to Astros).
Of course, the pessimist may openly wonder if that's not necessarily a bad thing ... since Atlanta's offense generated three or fewer runs a staggering 93 times last season.
Some friendly faces remain for Teheran, especially now that Christian Bethancourt -- the Braves' No. 3 prospect (source: Baseball America) -- should be the full-time mainstay at catcher.
"We'll talk about (the seasonal expectations) and get on the same page (soon)," says Teheran, who originally signed with the Braves at the ripen age of 16. "We've been together since the minors, and I don't think we're going to have any problems."
Yes, it's cool to be Julio Teheran these days, as we watch him take the necessary steps to purported greatness. His so-called Road To Domination may come sooner than expected, as well, now that Major League Baseball has introduced a more stringent set of "Pace Of Play" rules.
"I feel like I'm going to take advantage of that ... because sometimes, the hitter takes too long" in the batter's box.
