Which Atlanta Braves young players should you keep an eye out for in 2018?

With the New Year approaching, we need to get ready to see some new faces on the field for the Atlanta Braves in 2018.

At the beginning of the 2017 season, the Atlanta Braves were lacking depth and big league skill in left-handed starting pitching. The only southpaws on the opening day roster in 2017 was starter Jamie Garcia, and relievers Ian Krol and Eric O’Flaherty.

Now, the Braves have made significant leaps in not just the southpaw department, but overall skill department with position players.

Ronald Acuna

The Arizona Fall League MVP and minor league Player of the Year is expected to come into the big leagues and make an immediate impact for the Atlanta Braves. The timing of his callup is going to be questionable for the Braves: if Acuna stays in the minor leagues for a while after the 2018 season starts, the Braves will gain an extra year of team control over him.

The departure of Matt Kemp was very telling that the Braves have plans to put Acuna on the big league roster at some (early) point in time, and it’s going to be fun watching Acuna do his thing starting with spring training.

I don’t expect Acuna to come into his rookie year and put up numbers like Albert Pujols and Mike Trout did in their respective rookie seasons, but let’s just say it wouldn’t be a huge surprise if he did.

Ozzie Albies

Albies came up on August 1, 2017, and did a number of great things in his 2 months of service. He went into a slump shortly after his call up to the majors, but he got out of it in a hurry, and stayed out of it.

After his first 15 games, Albies had 10 hits in 57 plate appearances, 4 XBH’s and 6 RBI’s with 2 BB’s, 8 K’s, and a slash line of .192/.246/.365/.611.

After Albies finishing the month of August, though, he significantly bumped his stats up:  28 games with 28 hits in 101 AB’s with 11 XBH’s ,12 RBI’s, 8 BB’s, 18 K’s, and a slash line of .277/.333/.465/.799.

Albies finished the 2017 season in 57 games with 322 PA’s, 20 XBH’s, 28 RBI’s, 81 hits and 45 runs, 21 BB’s, 36 K’s, 8 SB’s and a slash line of .286/.357/.465/.822.

As long as Albies stays healthy in 2018, I expect him to have a breakout year.

Luiz Gohara

Here’s one of those new lefties. In his 5 starts during 2017, Gohara showed us that he is ready to dominate when the season starts at the end of March.

The only qualifying pitchers in 2017 with a FIP that was below 3 were Chris Sale (2.45), Corey Kluber (2.50), Stephen Strasburg (2.72), and Max Scherzer (2.90).

The only non-qualifying left handed starting pitcher with a FIP below 3?   Right: Luiz Gohara (2.75).

Putting himself in that type of company isn’t something that happens just out of luck; it’s because of the skill, talent, and potential that Gohara possesses. Is Gohara currently comparable to Sale/Kluber/Strasburg/Scherzer?  Absolutely… NOT. He’s still a youngster, and has a lot to prove of himself in 2018.

Sean Newcomb

The strikeout machine in Newcomb is sure to prove useful in the rotation in 2018. If Newcomb can decrease his H/9 next year, he is going to be a very useful pitcher in the Atlanta rotation because of his success in striking batters out.

Newcomb’s K/9 for 2017 was 9.7, which is really good for a 24 year old. As long as Newcomb decreases his H/9, FIP and WHIP in 2018, I would look for him to move his way up in the rotation very fast.