Houston Astros (11-13) vs. Atlanta Braves (16-12)
Champion Stadium, 1:05 P.M.
Philip Humber (1-1, 1.29) vs. Julio Teherán (2-1, 1.35)

If this blog has done anything so far, it’s probably shown you all just how much of a secret Braves fan I am.  By my count, so far I’ve profiled three of their five projected starters this season.  What can I say, they know how to develop interesting pitchers.  However, this isn’t the only reason why I chose this match-up as a lot more is at stake here in Florida today.

For Philip Humber that stake is in redemption.  A former number three overall pick, top prospect and thrower of a perfect game, Philip Humber was made for a lot more than bouncing around on minor league deals.  Coming out of Rice University, Humber was very highly touted before being picked early in the draft by the New York Mets.  Although he didn’t hit his stride for a while, Humber showed some promise at times.  His 2006 season saw him make the jump from single A to the Majors, an impressive feat for any player, especially a second-year pitcher.  Sadly things did not as planned from there on out.

Humber’s 2007 season saw him struggle in his short time in the Majors, prompting the team to use this as a chance to switch Humber into a reliever.  The results there were equally disastrous, Humber’s below average fastball didn’t translate well into relief and left the right-hander incredibly vulnerable to giving up hits.  Humber spent the next few seasons bouncing between starting and relieving as the Mets tried anything they could do to get value out of their top pick.  Unfortunately success never came though and Humber was dealt away by the Mets to the Twins.  After stints with Minnesota and Kansas City, Humber finally found a team to stick with in the form of the Chicago White Sox.  Although their first year together was much better than last season, some could argue that Humber’s perfect game against the Seattle Mariners last year should be enough to make this his highlight season.  However, the numbers are tough to ignore, making the debate a difficult case.  So here comes Humber once again in 2013, still trying to make a name for himself and truly have his defining season.  So far this spring Humber has looked good, allowing only five hits and two earned runs while using his diverse repertoire to produce weak contact.  Facing several teams expected to compete in their respective divisions so far, today’s start poses the greatest challenge as it’s his second time out against the Braves.  No longer having the ability to catch hitters off guard, expect Humber to go through many tough at bats today as he looks to get a handle on an out pitch.  His slider has always been his best pitch when it comes to strikeouts but the big left-handed bats of Freddie Freeman and Jason Heyward will create issues for Humber if he becomes reliant upon it.  Today just might be the day that Humber finally struggles this spring; however, if he does succeed then maybe the Astros found a diamond in the rough over the winter.  As a team that needs all the help it can get, it’s a necessary chance to give to a former top prospect.

Now onto a current top prospect looking to finally make in into the Majors.  Unlike Philip Humber, Julio Teherán was not a high draft pick.  In fact, Teherán wasn’t in the draft at all.  Signed at the age of sixteen out of Colombia, Teherán was seen as a pitcher with raw, projectable talent.  His early time in the Minors saw him struggle against his age-advanced competition, laboring through starts while showing flashes of what he could become.  It wasn’t until 2011 that Teherán took off, dominating AAA hitters at the age of nineteen while gaining national attention by being ranked number five on Baseball America’s Top 100 Prospects.

Since then, few things have gone right for Teherán.  Despite making his major league debut toward the end of 2011, Teherán has faced a great deal of inexplicable adversity in his time since.  Whether it was a result of poor conditioning or a lack of motivation, last year saw Teherán face considerable issues at the AAA level, putting his status as a future top end pitcher in question.  This spring Teherán has looked to silence his critics, doing so at an impressive pace.  Striking out twenty-five in just twenty innings and limiting opponents to seven hits, Teherán once again seems poised for a dominant season.  With a definite chip on his shoulder from his recent struggles, look for Teherán to take advantage of a weak Astros line-up today and further his stake in the number five spot of the Braves rotation.  Featuring a fastball and change-up combination that could arguably be considered amongst the best in the game, Teherán should have no problem fooling the inexperienced hitters of the Astros lineup.  Most likely his final start before manager Fredi Gonzalezz sets his rotation, Teherán is facing the most important start of his career so far.  By proving he deserves the spot, Teherán can finally get the chance to prove to his team that he is worthy of all the hype.  And with Brandon Beachy on his way back from Tommy John surgery early this season, all Teherán may need is a simple chance to show that he belongs in Atlanta for the long haul.

Not a bad dosage of past vs. future phenoms on display between these two  today.  It just goes to show that no matter what the label may be, anything can happen in baseball.  For better or for worst, nothing is definite until it is done consistently.