Former Gators Pitcher Tabbed as Breakout Candidate for Braves

A former Florida Gators pitcher was given high expectations from an All-Star first baseman.

According to Fox 5 Atlanta’s Miles Garrett, Braves first baseman Matt Olson mentioned right-hander Hurston Waldrep as someone who could make the jump this season.

Former #Braves first round pick Hurston Waldrep is someone to keep an eye on this season.

Yesterday Matt Olson mentioned him as a guy to maybe make that jump this season. pic.twitter.com/vj1QZkjl36
— Miles Garrett (@MilesGarrettTV) February 13, 2025

Waldrep was the Braves No. 3 prospect on MLB.com in 2024. His ranking for the upcoming season will be revealed when the top 30 drops in March. The Braves drafted him in the first round of the 2023 MLB Draft.

Waldrep pitched for Florida for one season after spending two years with Southern Mississippi. He finished 10-3 with a 4.19 ERA in 19 weekend starts. He received multiple honors, including being named to the 2023 Second Team All-American (D1Baseball), the 2023 ABCA First Team Southeast All-Region and the 2023 NCAA Gainesville Regional All-Tournament Team.

He made his Major League debut last season when the Braves were in desperate need of rotation help. He wasn’t ready for The Show, to put it lightly. The 22-year-old made two starts in June, just 11 months after he was drafted.

He gave up 13 earned runs in seven combined innings. His ERA was 16.71 and his WHIP was 2.43. Before he could be sent back to Triple-A, it was revealed he had elbow inflammation. He missed over a month.

Once he returned, he showed some strong promise for what could be coming.

He finished the Triple-A season with a 3.38 ERA in 40 innings pitched in eight starts. However, in his final six starts, he had a 2.22 ERA with one run or fewer allowed in five of them.

When he first came to the Majors, he was called up straight from Double-A. Now, he’s had a chance to get used to the level in between, so he’s a step closer to being ready.

He’ll have a shot to make the starting rotation in Spring Training. Last Spring, he pitched 4 1/3 innings across two appearances allowing no runs on two hits while walking four.