When discussing the Braves’ top prospects, Hurston Waldrep is the one that seems to be emerging as the guy who could really make an impact in Atlanta as early as this season. The 23-year-old made his eighth start of the season, and it might have been his best, going 6.1 innings without allowing a run and punching out eight batters.
This comes just five days after Hurston Waldrep tossed eight innings of one-run ball with eight strikeouts. In fact, over his last six starts, the former Florida Gators star has a 0.96 ERA and 2.38 FIP over 37.1 innings.
Final line for Hurston Waldrep
6.1 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 8 KHis past six outings
37.1 IP, 0.96 ERA, 34 K, 10 BB, 2.38 FIP— Garrett Spain (@BravesMILB) May 22, 2024
This is the Hurston Waldrep everyone expected after such a mind-blowing performance last year in his first taste of professional ball. He made eight starts during the 2023 campaign after being drafted in the first round and posted a 1.53 ERA with 41 strikeouts over 29.1 innings, ending the season in AAA Gwinnett.
It was enough to earn Hurston Waldrep an invite to Spring Training where he was nearly flawless. So much so, that some even questioned whether the Braves would consider starting him in the major-league rotation. It wouldn’t be the craziest course of action we’ve seen from the organization, considering Dylan Dodd and Jared Shuster — two much lesser prospects — began last year in Atlanta’s rotation.
However, the Braves decided to start Hurston Waldrep in AA Mississippi, which was really more about numbers than anything. They have a full rotation in Atlanta, and Gwinnett features several older prospects that need the reps at the AAA level.
For that reason, starting Waldrep in Mississippi made a lot of sense, but it’s about time for that to change. This is a young arm that could potentially answer a lot of questions for the Braves later in the year, and they need to see how he handles AAA first. Expect Waldrep to be promoted sooner rather than later, especially if he keeps trending in a positive direction.
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Photo: David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire
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