The Braves have been a pitching factory in recent years, given the successes of 2023 NL All-Star Bryce Elder and Spencer Strider, among others. Now, a new name may join that list. Atlanta has summoned 2023 first-round pick Hurston Waldrep from Triple-A, just 11 months after the Braves selected him out of the University of Florida.
A Look at Waldrep
Braves right-hander Hurston Waldrep hasn’t been in the organization long, as Atlanta drafted the former college standout in the first round of the 2023 MLB Draft. The selection came after a strong, yet turbulent college career.
Waldrep burst onto the scene as an elite college prospect with Southern Miss, when he struck out 140 batters over 90 innings two years ago. The Georgia native transferred to Florida for the 2023 season and was a strikeout machine (156 over 101.2 IP) yet again.
The 22-year-old yielded early returns last year, as he struck out 41 and posted a 1.19 WHIP in the Minors He made it as high as Triple-A in the organization last season. Waldrep spent most of the 2024 campaign with Double-A but made one start, his most recent, Triple-A. In total, Waldrep was hittable (.265 AVG) but did average more than a strikeout (59 over 55.1 IP) per inning.
The key to Waldrep’s arsenal is a plus-plus splitter, a pitch that was arguably the best pitch by a hurler in the 2023 MLB Draft, rivaling Paul Skenes‘ triple-digit fastball. Waldrep dominated with the pitch thanks to its hard downward break, something that’s very evident he still has in his arsenal.
In Waldrep’s lone Triple-A start this season, the 22-year-old induced 27 swings on the splitter and 16 whiffs (59.3%).
Aside from the splitter, Waldrep has a slider and four-seam fastball (15.7” average IVB in Triple-A). Waldrep routinely hit the mid-90s as a Gator but his velocity is down a bit now as a pro. Triple-A Statcast mainly clocked Waldrep in the 93-94 MPH range. It’s not a shock to see that given Waldrep routinely threw once a week in college.
Command was an issue for Waldrep in college, as he posted a 5.0 BB/9 in his junior season. That hasn’t been a major issue, though, as a pro. Through 55.1 IP in 2024, he’s down to 2.9 BB/9.
Hurston Waldrep will make his Braves and MLB debut on June 9 against DJ Herz and the Nationals. Herz made his debut earlier in the week with Washington.
Analysis
Waldrep’s begun to put it together after a brilliant college career, one that saw him skid at times but also flash premier stuff. Since becoming a Brave, the consistency has been there and stuff, as least visually and statistically, has shown just that.
As for how long Waldrep will stay at the MLB level, that may ultimately depend on how well he does in his first start. The Braves have called up Waldrep to give Max Fried an extra day of rest. And as of now, Atlanta’s rotation includes Fried, Chris Sale, Reynaldo Lopez, Charlie Morton, and rookie Spencer Schwellenbach.
Schwellenbach made his MLB debut two weeks earlier than Waldrep. Since then, he’s given up nine earned runs over 9.2 IP.
Fantasy Outlook
Waldrep is worth a look for those in need of a spot start, especially given his premier stuff. But as mentioned earlier, it’s still unknown how long Waldrep will stay in Atlanta.