Hurston Waldrep's command problems are becoming a real cause for concern for Braves

Hurston Waldrep began the 2024 season as the second ranked prospect in the Braves farm system. While the Braves 2023 first round pick made his debut this season, fans can't help but feel it's been a bit of a disappointment.

Waldrep's star has faded a bit as he's been surpassed in the prospect rankings by Atlanta's 2024 first round pick, and fellow rookie Spencer Schwellenbach has established himself as a future rotation stalwart.

However, the bigger issue for Waldrep is the same problem that has continued to plague him throughout his young career.

Command struggles continue for Waldrep and will hold him back

Waldrep's Major League stint was cut short after a couple of rough starts and an IL stint due to elbow inflammation. Once Waldrep was healthy the Braves opted to let him continue to work on his command with Triple-A Gwinnett.

Sadly, the control has yet to improve for Waldrep this season. The former Florida Gator has been pitching in Gwinnett since early August, and in each of his six starts he has walked at least three batters. In total Waldrep has walked 21 hitters in 28 innings of work since August 3.

On top of that, Waldrep isn't piling up the huge strikeout numbers he did before his promotion. It's clear the advanced hitters at the Triple-A level are forcing Waldrep to throw more pitches over the plate, and right now the approach is working.

Still, it hasn't been abysmal results for the young righty down in Triple-A. Despite the control problems, Waldrep has allowed one ER or fewer in four of his last six starts. Fans, media, and coaches knew the spotty command Waldrep was known for when we entered the 2024 campaign.

Unfortunately, we simply haven't seen the strides we were hoping for this season from Waldrep. That doesn't mean the kid is out for the count though. With a splitter that good and complimentary offerings that more than hold up when he's on, Waldrep is too promising of a prospect to give up on this soon. However, should these command concerns linger into the summer of 2025, we may need to start having some uncomfortable conversations.

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