1. SP Luiz Gohara – C.C. Sabathia
This one is honestly too easy. Luiz Gohara is an overlapping reincarnation of C.C. Sabathia. From his build to his pitch arsenal, the 21-year-old lefty channels Sabathia in every aspect of the game. He’s got a lively fastball and a devastating slider, and — wait, am I talking about Gohara or Sabathia earlier in his career? The two can be confused so easily!
Between three minor league levels in 2017 (A+, AA, & AAA), Luiz Gohara posted a 2.62 ERA and 10.7 strikeouts per nine innings. He’s still got a bit of baby fat on him, so there’s room for improvement in virtually all areas for the already-dominant lefty.
Gohara projects to be one of the best arms in the Atlanta Braves’ system and fans would not be disappointed if he replicated the potentially Hall of Fame-worthy career of C.C. Sabathia. I had hoped the Braves would pick up Sabathia this offseason so that he could be a mentor of sorts to Gohara, but we’ll just have to let the kid learn how to be great in his way.