Expectations for Hurston Waldrep's return to the majors with the Atlanta Braves were understandably low. Waldrep did not look good during his big league debut in 2024 and the scouting community at-large had written off his fastball as not fit for the major leagues. However, after Waldrep successfully implemented some advice from Sean Murphy about throwing a sinker, the young Braves pitching prospect has become one of the breakout stories of the second half in a way that isn't dissimilar to one of Atlanta's other top young arms.
It didn't take long for the Braves to realize that this was not the same Waldrep that looked so sketchy last season. After three starts including an absolutely dominating performance against the Guardians on Friday, Waldrep's spot in the rotation looks to be set in stone barring an injury or another setback.
In fact, Waldrep has been so good that it should remind Braves fans of the torrid stretch that Spencer Schwellenbach went on to close the 2024 season.
Hurston Waldrep may be following in Spencer Schwellenbach's footsteps with run of second half dominance
Over his first three starts of 2025 in the majors, Waldrep has been absolutely shoving. He currently sports a 1.02 ERA with 17 strikeouts against just five walks in 17.2 innings of work. While he is a very different pitcher than Schwellenbach in terms of what pitches they lean on, Waldrep's results have looked very similar to what Schwelly did last year.
After his first nine starts in 2024, Schwellenbach found himself with a mediocre 4.62 ERA. However, his turnaround starting at the end of July through the end of the season was stark. In the 12 starts he made starting on July 27 through the season's end, Schwellenbach posted a 2.47 ERA and 2.89 FIP with 78 strikeouts and just 13 walks in 73 inning of work.
Both Waldrep and Schwellenbach began their runs in that late July/early August, both hovered around a strikeout an inning while limiting free passes, and both importantly kept runs off the board at a high clip. If Waldrep truly is following in Schwellenbach's footsteps from last year, the remainder of this season could be a lot of fun. What is even more fun to think about is Schwellenbach returning from his injury and getting to see both of these guys in the rotation at the same time in 2026.