Hurston Waldrep DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

Atlanta Braves pitching prospect Hurston Waldrep pitched well in his first start of the Triple-A season, going five innings, allowing one earned run on three hits and one walk whilestriking out seven on the way to earning the win for Gwinnett. The 2023 first-round draft pick made quick work of the minors, eventually getting a call-up to the majors in June of 2024. It was a quick audition, though, as the righty allowed 13 earned runs over his two starts on nine hits and a poor 8:3 BB:K. The 6-foot-2 hurler owns a 3.01 ERA, 1.41 WHIP, and a 14.4 percent K-BB% in the minors, and if he performs well to begin the year, expect that the Braves will give him another shot at some point this season. He's likely rostered in dynasty leagues already, but with his arsenal and a first-round pedigree, redraft managers should be on notice again in the event he gets another call-up. With injuries already startingto rear their ugly head as Reynaldo Lopez goes on the IL, the Braves may need his services sooner than expected.

Atlanta Braves starting pitching prospect Hurston Waldrep was optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett on Tuesday. As a result, Waldrep will begin the 2025 campaign at the top level of the minor leagues. Last season, the right-hander made his MLB debut but struggled as he allowed 13 earned runs across seven innings of work. The 22-year-old made one appearance during spring training before being optioned to the minor leagues. Waldrep spent the majority of the 2024 campaign with Double-A, where he held a strong 2.92 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP across 49 1/3 innings of work. During his first 40 innings at Triple-A, the former first-round selection in the 2023 MLB Draft held a high 3.38 ERA with a 1.45 WHIP. If Waldrep performs well at Triple-A during the opening months of the season, he should push an early return to the major leagues.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Justin Toscano writes that Atlanta Braves pitching prospect Hurston Waldrep is working to bring his curveball back this spring. Waldrep, the team's first-round selection in 2023, has a fastball, elite splitter and a slider that he's developed, in addition to the curve that he's reintroducing in spring training. It should give the 22-year-old hurler another weapon to attack left-handed hitters with as he attempts to win a rotation spot with the Braves in 2025. Waldrep will likely start 2025 at Triple-A Gwinnett, but he could be one of the first arms back with the big-league club if injuries hit the starting rotation. He struggled in his first two big-league starts in 2024 before suffering an elbow injury that cost him six weeks. Waldrep's stuff is real and nasty, but he's going to need to improve his command to succeed at the next level.