If Julio Teheran is going to return to pitching at a high level

Mike Piazza Jersey , he’s going to do it by throwing from the stretch."We’re reaching the end of spring training and a week from Thursday, the long season will get going and the first competitive pitch of the year will be thrown. That pitch is likely going to come out of the hands of Julio Teheran. While the Braves haven’t confirmed that he’s going to be the starter (as of the time that I’m writing this), it’s looking likely. They would have likely gone with Mike Foltynewicz, but he may not be ready until late-April at the latest so he’s obviously out. Kevin Gausman is also dealing with some issues so he wouldn’t get the Opening Day nod. Sean Newcomb is the wild card to end all wild cards, so they wouldn’t give him the nod, either. That leaves Julio and against all odds, he’s going to get another Opening Day start. If you had told me back in December or January that Julio would be starting Opening Day, I would have asked you, the time traveler from the future, if the Black Plague had run throughthe dugout and left nothing but a pitcher who can rarely get it above 90-mph as he enters his age-28 season. Needless to say, I’d be worried that the Braves were in a bad spot pitching wise and suggest that they should probably go out and find another front-end starter who would surely still be available at such a late stage.There’s still plenty of reason to be concerned about Teheran being at the top of the rotation to start the season and I totally understand if people are panicking. I’m one of those people!However, the situation isn’t gloom and doom. As I mentioned earlier, Julio Teheran is going into his age-28 season and his velocity continues to drop precipitously. Folks, it’s concerning!Even though Teheran definitely has some miles on his arm, this is not something that you should see from a pitcher who still has some years to go before he’s on the wrong side of 30. Fortunately, he’s still young which means that adjustments can be made and it looks like he’s doing just that. Julio Teheran has actually had a pretty good spring so far and while you always have to take spring training results with a grain of salt, it’s still encouraging to see that he hasn’t fallen completely into the abyss just yet — even if the abyss is looming as he stands on the cliff’s edge. The adjustment that’s made this early success possible is actually a bit simple — he’s pitching from the stretch at all times. He’s said that pitching from the stretch has helped him from a command standpoint and the proof was in the pudding on Sunday as he went five innings and only gave up one run against a lineup that included Jose Altuve and Alex Bregman. The rest of Houston’s high-powered offense wasn’t present, but the performance was still a continuation of the good work that Julio Teheran has put on display throughout spring training. If pitching from the stretch is what it takes for Julio Teheran to continue at least being a solid part of the rotation, then so be it. If there was one thing that I noticed when watching Julio pitch last season in particular, it was that he was putting an extreme amount of effort into simply getting the ball into the catcher’s glove and this approach clearly wasn’t working for him anymore if his velocity was dropping like it was over the seasons. You don’t see pitchers lose velocity by throwing from the stretch and Teheran’s command seems to be better when he’s throwing from the stretch, so it seems like a net positive. If you tell any pitcher that they can improve by simply switching, then you’ll see that person take advantage of it and it’s clear that Teheran is going to ride this for as long as it works for him. If it does indeed work out then this would be a boon to the Braves and their rotation. The rotation still won’t be at full strength heading into the start of the season, but it’s not a complete case of gloom and doom. There’s hope for Julio now and that’s at least better than what we were thinking about Julio after the 2018 season came to a close. The elder statesmen are also well-represented.There were also 12 players over the age of 32 who landed among the game's top 100 this season.SluggerNelson Cruz(38) is the oldest of that group, and he's still raking in his 14th big league season with a 143 OPS+ and 22 home runs鈥攇iving him 345 long balls for his career, despite not becoming an everyday player until the age of 28.Fellow designated hitter Shin-Soo Choo(36) is the only other player over the age of 35. He earned his first All-Star appearance this season and rattled off a 52-game on-base streak to post a .402 on-base percentage that ranks fourth in the American League.Staff acesJustin Verlander(35),Jon Lester(34),Zack Greinke(34) andMax Scherzer(33) are earning a combined $111.64 million this season. That's more than the entire payroll of nine different MLB teams, but it's hard to argue they haven't earned it.Meanwhile, Charlie Morton(34) is once again one of the best bargains in baseball in the second year of a two-year, $14 million contract that has been an absolute slam dunk for the Astros. He too was a first-time All-Star this year.Brandon Morrow(33) has taken an interesting career path from promising young starter to injury reclamation project to lights-out setup man to closing games for the Cubs. He's converted 22 of 24 save chances with a 1.47 ERA and 9.1 K/9 in his first season in the ninth-inning role, though injuries are again a concern.Joey Votto(34) remains one of the most feared hitters in baseball, and as usual, he's getting on base at an elite .416 clip.Nick Markakis(34) andJed Lowrie(34) can also be added to the list of first-time All-Stars. Both players have enjoyed long http://www.dodgersfanproshop.com/authentic-max-muncy-jersey , productive MLB careers, yet they're having perhaps their best season to date in 2018.Then again, that's nothing compared to the career renaissanceMatt Kemp(33) has undergone since returning to the Dodgers. There was some doubt whether he would even crack the Opening Day roster, and now he leads the team in batting average (.317) and RBI (63).Who SawThemComing?Max MuncyDylan Buell/Getty ImagesWhere would the Los Angeles Dodgers be withoutMax Muncy?The Oakland Athletics released the 27-year-old in March, and the Dodgers scooped him up on a minor league deal a month later. Now, with Corey Seager out for the season and Justin Turner missing significant time, he's been an integral part of the offense.Over 305 plate appearances, he's hitting .271/.403/.595 with 23 home runs and 45 RBI. Add to that his defensive versatility鈥攈e's played first base (38 games), third base (36), second base (nine) and left field (six)鈥攁nd he's been a 3.0 WAR player for the NL West leaders.TeammateRoss Striplinghas also been a surprise standout.The 28-year-old spent most of last season in the bullpen, and his first 12 appearances this year were primarily in relief. However, injuries forced him into the starting rotation May 6, and he's gone 8-1 with a 2.45 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 10.6 K/9 in 14 starts.Minnesota Twins teammatesEddie Rosario(135 OPS+, 19 HR, 62 RBI, 4.3 WAR) andEduardo Escobar(131 OPS+, 37 2B, 15 HR, 63 RBI, 2.6 WAR) also deserve a mention here.Rosario posted a 119 OPS+ with 27 home runs last season, but he's taken his game to new heights in his age-26 campaign and looks like a cornerstone-type player. As for Escobar, he's turned himself into a valuable trade chip in a contract year.Need proof that being active on the waiver wire is a worthwhile pursuit?Jesus Aguilar(CLE to MIL),Scooter Gennett(MIL to CIN),Adam Ottavino(STL to COL) andKirby Yates(LAA to SD) all joined their current teams via waiver claims.The Washington Nationals tradedBlake Treinenin their pursuit of a reliable ninth-inning option last season, and now he's turned into just that. After an excellent conclusion to the 2017 season in Oakland, he's converted 25 of 29 save chances with a 1.06 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 11.5 K/9.Despite earning a place on the AL All-Star roster last season,Corey Dickersonwas designated for assignment by the Tampa Bay Rays after a second-half swoon. The 29-year-old landed on his feet in Pittsburgh as a replacement for Andrew McCutchen, and he's hit .318/.351/.517 for a 3.3 WAR.Collin McHughwas ousted from the Houston Astros' starting rotation following the offseason addition of Gerrit Cole, but he's taken the move to the bullpen in stride, emerging as a multi-inning weapon. The 31-year-old is 5-0 with a 0.94 ERA, 0.69 WHIP and 11.3 K/9 in 34 appearances spanning 47.2 innings. Where Did They Go?Bryce HarperDylan Buell/Getty ImagesSince the goal of this list was to look at the 2018 season in a bubble Chase Utley Jersey , there are a number of players with superstar pedigrees who are notably absent.A whopping 21 players who earned a spot inside our preseason top 50 are nowhere to be found on this list, and they can be lumped into four general categories.Injury issues:Clayton Kershaw(4),Corey Seager(16),Josh Donaldson(19),Noah Syndergaard(29),Justin Turner(32),Stephen Strasburg(34) andAndrew Miller(39).Significant regression from 2017:Gary Sanchez(33),Marcus Stroman(37),Jonathan Schoop(38) andAdrian Beltre(42).Good, not great 2018:Bryce Harper(9),Anthony Rizzo(14),Charlie Blackmon(21),George Springer(31),Carlos Carrasco(44),Brian Dozier(47) andKyle Hendricks(48).Just missed the cut:Cody Bellinger(24),Kenley Jansen(36),Dallas Keuchel(40). Best Offseason Addition (Hitter): 8. J.D. Martinez, Boston Red SoxBillie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty ImagesThe Boston Red Sox front office and free-agent sluggerJ.D. Martinezspent most of the offseason at an impasse before the two sides finally agreed to a five-year, $110 million deal on Feb. 19.The Red Sox had taken a noticeable downturn offensively after David Ortiz retired following the 2016 season:2016:.810 OPS (1st in MLB), 208 HR (9th in MLB), 5.4 R/G (1st in MLB)2017:.736 OPS (22nd in MLB), 168 HR (27th in MLB), 4.8 R/G (10th in MLB)Meanwhile, Martinez was coming off a monster season at the plate in 2017. He posted a 167 OPS+ with 45 home runs and 104 RBI, despite playing just 119 games after getting a late start to the season while recovering from a foot injury.As good as those numbers were, he's been even better in Boston.The 30-year-old is hitting .323/.387/.644 for a 171 OPS+ and leading the AL in home runs (31), RBI (85) and total bases (237).And thanks in large part to those contributions, the Red Sox offense once again ranks near the head of the pack in OPS (.795, 1st in MLB), home runs (140, 2nd in MLB) and runs per game (5.3, 1st in MLB).Best Offseason Addition (Pitcher):57. Miles Mikolas, St. Louis CardinalsMichael B. Thomas/Getty ImagesMiles Mikolaswas released by the Texas Rangers following a 2014 season that saw him go 2-5 with a 6.44 ERA and 1.43 WHIP in 10 starts.Despite those middling numbers http://www.dodgersfanproshop.com/authentic-max-muncy-jersey , the Yomiuri Giants of the Japanese League saw enough to sign him to a one-year, $700,000 deal, and that would prove to be a turning point in his career.In three seasons in Japan, he went 31-13 with a 2.18 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 378 strikeouts in 424.2 innings, and that was enough to generate plenty of interest from MLB teams when he decided to make his way back stateside this past offseason.The St. Louis Cardinals ended up signing him to a two-year, $15.5 million deal, and he's been a difference-maker in their rotation, going 10-3 with a 2.82 ERA and 1.07 WHIP.He's only tallied 89 strikeouts in 124.1 innings, but he throws a ton of strikes and does a good job of keeping hitters off balance.Teams Who Got Shut OutJustin SmoakTom Szczerbowski/Getty ImagesTheBaltimore Orioles,Chicago White SoxandToronto Blue Jayswere the only teams without a representative on our list.Manny Machado was the All-Star selection for the Orioles, and he's having a huge season at the plate. But Baltimore has traded him to the Dodgers.That left Adam Jones (100 OPS+, 10 HR, 38 RBI,) and Dylan Bundy (6-9, 4.57 ERA, 116 K, 108.1 IP) as their best candidates.Jose Abreu (109 OPS+, 14 HR, 55 RBI) actually started the All-Star Game for the White Sox, but his numbers don't stack up to the sluggers who did make the cut.Closer Joakim Soria (16/19 SV, 2.56 ERA, 11.4 K/9) looks like a solid trade chip, but he's not quite a top-tier reliever.As for the Blue Jays, they had three players on our preseason edition鈥擩osh Donaldson (19), Marcus Stroman (37) and Roberto Osuna (77).However, slugger Justin Smoak (128 OPS+, 16 HR, 53 RBI) and All-Star J.A. Happ (10-6, 4.18 ERA, 130 K, 114.0 IP) were the closest they got to cracking the list this time around. Baseball's Most Stacked Team:New York YankeesAaron Judge and Luis SeverinoRob Carr/Getty ImagesTheNew York Yankeesmight be chasing the Red Sox in the standings Maury Wills Jersey , but they took the top spot here with eight representatives on the top 100 list.Budding young starsAaron Judge(5) andLuis Severino(15) led the way, while sluggerGiancarlo Stanton(51), middle infieldersDidi Gregorius(67) andGleyber Torres(73), outfielderAaron Hicks(78) and relieversAroldis Chapman(42) andDellin Betances(95) also earned spots.TheCubs led the way on the NL side with seven representatives, despite the fact that Rizzo, Kyle Hendricks, Jose Quintana and Yu Darvish all fell out of the top 100 after appearing on the preseason list.The Red Sox (7), Astros (7) and Brewers (6) round out the teams with more than five players. Other Interesting NotesPlayers born in the United States (68), Venezuela (10), Dominican Republic (7),Puerto Rico (6),Netherlands (4),Canada (2), Cuba (2) andSouth Korea (1) appeared on the list.There are 41 first-round picks, including two No. 1 overall picks鈥擥errit Cole (2011) and Carlos Correa (2012).Conversely, seven players were drafted after the 10th round鈥擬att Carpenter (13th), Scooter Gennett (16th), Lorenzo Cain (17th), Collin McHugh (18th), Josh Hader (19th), J.D. Martinez (20th) and Kirby Yates (UFA). The Red Sox selected Yates out of high school in the 26th round in 2005, but he didn't sign. He then missed the 2006 and 2007 seasons and was not drafted again.Of the 100 players, 37 never appeared on aBaseball Americapreseasontop 100 prospect list鈥攊ncluding Jacob deGrom (6), J.D. Martinez (8), Jose Altuve (13), Corey Kluber (16), Matt Carpenter (17), Lorenzo Cain (18) and Eddie Rosario (24)among players ranked inside the top 25.With the non-waiver trade deadline looming Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET, it's worth noting that 46 of the players have been involved in trades at some point in their careers. That number is eclipsed by the 48 players who are still playing for the teams that originally signed or drafted them.All standard stats and WAR totals courtesy of Baseball Reference, while advanced stats come via FanGraphs. Stats accurate as of July 24.