The Atlanta Braves' prospect system has great talent stashed at each level of their minor league system. They are slim on top position player prospects, but pitching has always been a luxury for Atlanta.
There have been a few surprises so far this season, like the emergence of Didier Fuentes and the dominance of Blake Burkhalter. However, there have also been some disappointments.
One prospect who has had it rough is Atlanta's 2023 top draft pick, Hurston Waldrep. Waldrep made his MLB debut for the Braves in 2024, and it did not go well at all. He did pretty well in Triple-A last season with a 3.47 ERA over 93.1 innings pitched. However, he struggled with walks as he walked 45 batters versus 97 strikeouts.
Hurston Waldrep's early-season struggles bring more questions than answers on his future
His most recent start went about as poorly as it could have. The 23-year-old lasted just 4.2 innings against the Jumbo Shrimp, allowing two runs on five hits with four walks and three strikeouts.
This stems from his inability to locate his pitches well. Waldrep's performance has been more of the same in 2025 as he carries a 6.04 ERA over 22.1 innings (five starts). The right-hander has 15 walks to 20 strikeouts. He is averaging six walks per nine innings, and his fastball has gotten crushed as well.
Waldrep has a 38.7% hard hit rate this season, which is not good for someone who struggles with command. He added a curveball back to his pitch mix this season, but it won't help if you're walking a lot of batters. His splitter remains the best pitch of his arsenal, but one good pitch isn't going to help at the big league level.
ESPN's Kiley McDaniel touched on this in February and mentioned that Waldrep has a "geometry problem" with his fastball. Essentially, he thinks the right-hander needs to throw his fastball harder or change the shape of the fastball to get more/better movement on it. This could come from changes to his arm slot, release point, etc.
It may be time for the Braves to consider transitioning Waldrep to a bullpen role if these struggles continue or he isn't able to adjust. He didn't even make Baseball America's top 100 prospect list. Drake Baldwin and AJ Smith-Shawver were the two to be ranked from the Braves organization.
It's disappointing to see Waldrep struggle, as the Braves could use another plus arm in their rotation. Command was the concern with him after being drafted out of the University of Florida, so it's not too surprising.
He needs to make major strides soon or fans may lose all of their confidence in his ability to be an impact arm in the future.