There wasn't much that went right for the Atlanta Braves in 2025. Injuries, poor performance, and a PED suspension for the club's big free-agent acquisition all contributed to Atlanta falling well short of its lofty preseason expectations.
A 76-86 record and a fourth-place finish in the NL East might make it seem hard to find any bright spots, much less one that was a surprise. Ronald Acuña Jr. having a successful return from his torn ACL was pleasant, but given his superstar pedigree, it was not wholly unexpected, nor was it under the radar.
Instead, the honor clearly falls on rookie right-hander Hurston Waldrep, who despite top prospect billing, wasn't a guarantee to be a 2025 contributor.
Hurston Waldrep was an unexpected bright spot in a difficult season for the Braves
Waldrep got a cup of coffee in 2024, but to say it didn't go well is an understatement. He managed just two starts, logging seven innings and struggling mightily with his control, posting 10.29 BB/9, leading to a 16.71 ERA.
Waldrep began his season at Triple-A Gwinnett, and his struggles continued, though not to the same extent. In 19 starts, he tossed 91.2 innings, posting a 4.42 ERA in the process. To say that he was banging on the door of a promotion would be an overstatement.
However, a rash of injuries in the rotation opened the door a crack, and that was all Waldrep needed. The 23-year-old came up and initially dominated, thanks to adding a sinker to his repertoire that made his other pitches pop.
The sinker itself wasn't necessarily the lights-out pitch, but the effect it had on his cutter, and most importantly, his devastating splitter was critical to him keeping hitters off balance. Waldrep posted a solid 49.3% groundball rate and was exceptional at keeping the ball off the barrel with a minuscule 4% barrel rate, which ranked in the 97th percentile.
In addition to generating a lot of soft contact, Waldrep posted a well-above-average whiff rate of 28.5%, good for the 75th percentile. On those strengths, he posted a 2.88 ERA over 56.1 innings, giving hope that he'll live up to his promise as a 2023 first-round pick.
To be fair, it wasn't all sunshine and rainbows. Waldrep still had bouts of control issues, posting a 9.6% walk rate on the season. There is a sliver of good news in that stat, however. The walks were largely a function of the youngster's eighth percentile chase rate. It would be a lie to say it isn't concerning that he struggles to entice hitters to chase outside of the strike zone. If he rectifies this issue, the walks will plummet and his strikeouts will rise as well.
At the end of the day, Waldrep is far from a finished product, but in 2025, he showed that he can get big league hitters out consistently, building faith that he can become a rotation fixture for years to come.