According to David O’Brien of the Athletic, Luiz Gohara has shown up to Spring Training slimmed down from his 2018 form, dropping a reported 40 pounds and currently weighing closer to 270 pounds. Gohara spent last season “well over” 300 pounds.
#Braves' Gohara was well over 300 pounds when he reported to spring training a year ago. He's close to 270 now.
— David O'Brien (@DOBrienATL) February 15, 2019
The drop in weight is a promising sign for a highly touted prospect that has had a rough go of it in his brief stints in the major leagues.
The Braves traded away Mallex Smith to acquire the services of Gohara before the 2017 season, and he went on to continue his dominance from the 2016 season, showing serious potential in the five appearances he made for the big league club.
2018 was a different story.
This is not to say it is all on him. Gohara dealt with some family health issues that forced him to leave the team at one point, and it showed in his play. He was not the same guy and was much heftier than he had been in the past. Now that some of those issues are behind them, Gohara has taken the offseason to get back to business.
MLB.com’s Mark Bowman says that Gohara was 315 pounds at one point last season. There have been several pitchers who have been at or above that number and still had success, but few of them at the age of 22. A concerted effort to cut down was necessary for Gohara to reach the peak of his potential.
A forgetful 2018 has caused Gohara to lose momentum and fall further down in the pecking order, but he still possesses some of the best upside of any of the young arms in the organization. He will be a candidate for a role in the bullpen to begin the 2019 season, and if things go well he could find himself back in the rotation at some point sooner rather than later.