Atlanta Braves: The “Most Improved” award winner
Johan Camargo falls under the label of unheralded breakthrough prospect. Always touted for his defense in the minors, Camargo has been improving his offensive profile and lean mass since 2015. Once a slap hitter, Camargo now has gap-to-gap power while barreling his fair share of baseballs. He can play all over the infield and was also a natural SS. Given that there are already two shortstops in the infield, he’ll man third base, where he should be plus. Yep, ground balls are going to die thousands of deaths versus the Braves defense in 2018.
And then there’s pitching.
Remember replacing Kemp with Acuna? Addition by subtraction is a neat thing. The Braves have bid Bartolo Colon and R.A. Dickey adieu, and they have placed some electric arms in their place.
The mainstay
When your 27-year-old top of the rotation pitcher is the most boring pitcher in the rotation, you’ve got some very good “problems.” Julio Teheran has been around forever, but he won’t turn 30 until 2020. Despite throwing more than a thousand innings to date, Julio remains intriguing and is only a few tweaks away from being a force in any given season.
The Enigma
Mike Foltynewicz is reminiscent of a young Justin Verlander with his ability to maintain high 90s velocity deep into games. The fastball has never been a question for Folty. Instead, the issue has always been consistency. On any given night, Foltynewicz may have a pitch or two missing from his four-pitch arsenal, only to follow it up with a stellar outing in which all of his offerings are on. Folty is due to take another step forward. Whether he will do so or not has yet to be seen.