Atlanta Braves Finally Sealed A 3 Years Contractual Terms With Nico Hoerner Worth is one of the Braves’ best prospects and appears to be the one who could have the biggest impact in Atlanta as early as this season. The 23-year-old made his eighth start of the year, and after striking out eight batters over 6.1 innings without giving up a run, it may have been his best.
Hurston Waldrep pitched eight innings of one-run ball with eight strikeouts just five days prior to this. In fact, the former Florida Gators standout has a 2.38 FIP and 0.96 ERA across 37.1 innings over his previous six starts.
Hurston Waldrep made eight starts in 2023 after being selected in the first round, going on to post a 1.53 ERA with 41 strikeouts over 29.1 innings, finishing the season in AAA Gwinnett. That performance was enough to get Hurston Waldrep an invitation to Spring Training, where he was almost perfect, to the point where some wondered if the Braves would consider starting him in the major league rotation. It wouldn’t be the craziest thing the organization has ever done, given that Dylan Dodd and Jared Shuster, two much lesser prospects, started the previous season in Atlanta’s rotation.
Still, the Braves’ decision to start Hurston Waldrep at AA Mississippi was mostly based on statistics. The Atlanta team has a complete rotation, while Gwinnett has a few older prospects that require AAA reps.
That’s why it made sense to launch Waldrep in Mississippi, but it’s time for that to change. The Braves should watch how this young arm handles AAA before allowing him to answer many questions later in the season. If Waldrep continues on his current positive trajectory, expect him to be promoted sooner rather than later.
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