Former Gators Pitcher, Braves Prospect Trending Toward Being MLB Ready

Former Florida Gators weekend starter and Atlanta Braves prospect Hurston Waldrep has been correcting course as of late in Triple-A.

In Wednesday's start against the Louisville Bats, he pitched six innings of two-run ball on six hits and two walks while striking out nine. In his last three starts, he has a 2.79 ERA and has pitched into the sixth inning each time. He's finished the sixth in his last two outings.

In his first six starts, he had a 7.02 ERA and never got past the fifth inning, which he only did twice. After high hopes for a step forward this season, the right-hander looked like he was in trouble. However, he might be starting to figure things out.

According to Waldrep's scouting report, Waldrep has three highly rated pitches, the highest being his splitter. That pitch is rated a 65 on the 20-to-80 scale. That is considered to be "plus" stuff. His fastball is in the same category with a 60 rating. His slider is a 55, which is rated above average.

Waldrep made his MLB debut last season, and he was far from ready. He allowed 13 earned runs in just seven combined innings pitched over two starts. He then went on the injured list right before he was supposed to be optioned to Triple-A. Once he returned he pitched for Gwinnett the rest of the season having a 3.17 ERA in seven starts.

Waldrep spent two years at Southern Miss before transferring to Florida for his junior year. His efforts with the Gators earned him Second Team All-American honors from D1Baseball.

He went 10-3 with a 4.16 ERA and held hitters to a .228 opponent average while making all 19 of his scheduled weekend starts. He was part of the Gators team that went on a run to the College World Series, getting one win away from the second national championship in program history. The Braves took him in the first round (24th overall) in the 2024 draft.

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