Braves' Gohara gets called up for MLB debut
At this point a year ago, Luiz Gohara was closing out his 2016 season at Class A Clinton in the Mariners system. On Tuesday, he'll become a member of the Braves' Major League club. Atlanta is calling up its No. 8 prospect (No. 91 overall) to make his first Major League
At this point a year ago,
Atlanta is calling up its No. 8 prospect (No. 91 overall) to make his first Major League start Tuesday at home against the Rangers, the team announced Tuesday afternoon. Julio Teheran, who was scheduled to start, had his outing moved to Wednesday. Gohara needed to be added to the Braves' 40-man roster before joining the big club as part of September roster expansions.
The 21-year-old left-hander last pitched Thursday for Triple-A Gwinnett, striking out seven while giving up three hits and two walks over five scoreless innings at Norfolk.
Acquired from Seattle in a four-player deal last January, Gohara has climbed from Class A Advanced Florida at the beginning of the year all the way to the Majors in his first season with the organization. The Brazil native recorded a 2.62 ERA and 1.21 WHIP with 147 strikeouts and 44 walks in 123 2/3 innings across three levels, finishing fourth in an arms-heavy system in both ERA and strikeouts. He held his own in the International League, posting a 3.31 ERA with 48 strikeouts and 16 walks in 35 1/3 innings, despite being the circuit's youngest pitcher in 2017. Also impressive is the fact that he hadn't thrown more than 69 2/3 frames during his four seasons with Seattle.
Gohara has thrived with a three-pitch arsenal that features a plus-plus fastball capable of reaching the high 90s and an above-average slider. After struggling with his control earlier in his career, the 6-foot-3, 210-pound hurler has reined that in to a more manageable level, issuing walks to 8.5 percent of batters faced in 2017.
The southpaw will be the ninth rookie pitcher to appear with the Braves this season and the fourth to make a start, following
Sam Dykstra is a reporter for MiLB.com. Follow and interact with him on Twitter, @SamDykstraMiLB.