It's pronounced "Tay-rahn", not "Tuh-hey-rahn"

Julio Teheran has become somewhat of a mythical figure for Braves fans, and much of the prospect community.  His AA stint in 2010 garnered him national recognition, setting up huge expectations for 2011, which he promptly lived up to and then some.  People naturally assumed that the next stop was the big leagues.  Until it wasn't.

Teheran's AAA season in 2012 was as bad as one could imagine.  He wasn't stranding runners at the same rate he had been, and his confidence in his changeup (the ultimate "feel" pitch) was dwindling at an alarming rate.  Once considered the best pitching prospect in the game, many fans were concerned that he might be closer to a fifth starter instead of the ace that many had projected him to be.  The club needed him to be effective, and had he been, he could very well have taken Beachy's spot in the rotation, perhaps even Tommy Hanson's spot once the wheels started to come off for him.  But he wasn't ready, no matter how much we may have wanted or needed him to be.  His pitching line from 2012 only goes to further that fact:

Through his first three starts of the 2013 season things didn't seem to be coming along much better, as he gave up 13 runs in 16 innings, allowing five homers and walking seven while only striking out 12.  Since his start at Colorado on April 23 however, he has given up 13 runs in 55 innings, good for an ERA of 2.57 and an FIP of 3.30.  He has struck out ~seven batters per nine and walked eight total batters in that stretch.  He has been relying on his fastball (67.2%), slider (19.6%), and curve (8.3%) to keep hitters off-balance, changing speeds and eye levels as effectively as one could hope for.  His best four starts on the season (not including today's) have seen him hover around 10-12% swinging strikes.  He should be able to continue to get a lot of strikes from those types of events as his repertoire manifests itself, and as enjoyable as it has been to see him develop a slider, one must remember that his seldom-used (5% total) changeup is arguably his best offspeed offering.  If he can harness the power of that pitch to his advantage, this guy can be as good as he wants to be.

If you haven't seen today's game, and you've got DVR available, or if you see a replay, I encourage you to check it out.  You will witness Julio Teheran quietly proving that patience is a virtue. 

(All pertinent statistics courtesy of FanGraphs)