Atlanta Braves: The Upstarts
Sean Newcomb
As Bartolo Colon disintegrated last year, we looked up to find Sean Newcomb standing in his place. Many have long known the book on Newcomb. He possesses plus velocity from the left side that’s difficult to square up. His trademark is a plus curveball with 12 to 6 movement as well as 11 to 5. Sean Newcomb is always going to strike out high volumes of batters, but he may also walk the rest.
Newcomb made improvements on his changeup separation and movement last year. That said, it got walloped when he did not command it on the black or out of the zone. Newcomb has been focusing on his mechanics over the winter at the TB12 Center – Tom Brady’s training compound. Yet to make his first spring training start, all eyes will be on Newcomb’s command and control.
Luiz Gohara
Perhaps the biggest surprise of 2017 was the emergence of Luiz Gohara. Gohara bulldozed three levels of the minors last year, not unlike Ronald Acuna. Gohara has an incredible mound presence at 6’3″ tall and weighing in at 210 lbs — a generous weight. Gohara’s fastball from the left side clocked in at the highest LHSP fastball velocity in baseball last year. He paired that offering with a plus to double plus slider. He got an astounding 25.7% whiff rate on the slider in 2017. Unlike most young power pitches, Gohara showed an ability to limit walks, with a BB rate of only 6.5%.