Fantasy Bounce Back Player 2016: Julio Teheran
Julio Teheran is back on the right path to success this year after a very disappointing season last year.
Atlanta Braves pitcher, Julio Teheran, appears to be back to the dominate form fantasy owners saw when he first entered the league. During his 2015 campaign, Teheran had Braves fans and fantasy owners wondering if he was just a fluke.
Here in 2016 though, Teheran has silenced any and all of those rumors, proving perhaps it was just last season that was the fluke. Teheran has shown dominance on the mound in previous seasons and is yet again doing so this season.
During his first two full seasons with the Atlanta Braves in 2013 and 2014, Julio Teheran pitched like the highly touted prospect he was intended to be. He recorded an impressive 28-21 overall record for the Braves during that time. The young right-hander also recorded a 3.03 ERA in 406.2 innings pitched.
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The Braves were certainly not hesitant to give him a large workload either. He averaged less than a hit per inning to go along with 356 strikeouts. Needless to say, the Braves were excited about the young promise he had shown.
In 2015 however, Julio Teheran began to show signs of vulnerability. He pitched for less innings than he did his previous season, while giving up more hits. Batters at the plate seemed to have figured the young man out as he gave up 90 earned runs last season, bringing his ERA up to a career high 4.04 come seasons end.
2015 was pitiful for both Teheran and the Braves, but somehow he was still able to come out with a winning record (11-8).
Julio Teheran has fans and fantasy owners thinking differently about him here so far in 2016 as he has rebounded nicely from a down season last year. So far this season, he has thrown for 68.1 innings, going deep into games on multiple occasions. He is averaging nearly a K per inning which is what fantasy owners like to see from their starting pitchers.
He also currently sports a favorable 2.77 ERA, which is very promising and truly shows what the 25-year-old is still capable of. His WHIP is strong as well, sitting at only 1.07.
After a slow first couple of starts, Teheran has dominated since. He has not allowed more than three earned runs in any outing since. He has also thrown at least five innings giving up no more than six hits in any of those starts.
He is certainly on the rebound here in 2016 and deserves to be owned in more than just the 75% of ESPN leagues out there. Teheran is in the top 50 in fantasy points for starting pitchers, and he should continue to move up gradually as the season rolls on.
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When Julio Teheran is on top of his game, he can compete with anyone out there. The one downfall Teheran has going for him at the moment, is that he plays for the Braves. They are a team that will not give him much run support, which is why he only has one win so far this year (1-5), despite the numbers he has posted.
The Braves may consider moving him, but it will come at a hefty price. The young man still shows a lot of upside moving forward. Look for him to keep up this pace and have a great season this year.