Chris Sale Lends Praise to Atlanta Braves Rookie Pitcher

Ahead of his start on Saturday, the Atlanta Braves rookie righty's growth as a pitcher received a shout-out from a Future Hall of Famer

Atlanta Braves pitcher Hurston Waldrep's growth was praised by a future Hall of Famer | Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

Hurston Waldrep is set to take the mound for the first time in September. The Atlanta Braves rookie had an unbelievable showing in six starts last month, posting a 1.01 ERA in six games, five starts. 

The emergence of the young pitcher has caught the attention of many, including Braves All-Star lefty Chris Sale. 

“His stuff is obviously electric,” he said. “It’s cool for me, because you saw him come up last year, it was just kind of overwhelming for him, right? And you never know what’s going to happen with that.” 

Sale noted that even how Waldrep got his next chance was out of the ordinary. He had to head up to Bristol, Tenn., at the crack of dawn to pitch for the Braves on a day they weren’t supposed to be playing. He easily, and understandably, could have been a deer in headlights. 

“I mean, even just kind of his call back up was weird, right?” he said. “The game starts. It gets rained out. He gets a phone call. He’s driving up. There’s kind of a lot going on for a guy like that.”

However, let alone did Waldrep hold it together, he didn’t even seem to bend. He gave the Braves 5 2/3 innings pitched of one-run ball en route to his first career win. He can also say he’s the only pitcher to pick up a win in Tennessee. 

From then on out, his splitter has been driving hitters mad, and his mechanics are sound as ever. 

“You see a guy who went back to Triple-A, and he clearly did exactly what he needed to do in that time,” Sale said. 

What stands out to the nine-time All-Star the most is how much effort the 23-year-old puts in. He likes to think it’ll pay off in the long run. 

“He’s really honed in on what makes him successful, and his work ethic is unbelievable. I mean, he’s got a very, very good routine. He’s definitely ahead of the curve there. I’m definitely excited to be able to sit front row and watch that, hopefully for a few years.”

With Sale back from the injured list, the two are going to be fellow members of the rotation for the remainder of this year and at least next year, the last year of Sale’s current contract. 

That gives Sale a good amount of time, assuming this is all he sticks around for, to have that front row seat as Waldrep continues to refine his craft.