Braves Have New Rotation Mainstay as Waldrep Deals Again

Hurston Waldrep stood tall again for the Atlanta Braves en route to another win, this time over the Miami Marlins. He pitched six-plus innings of one-run ball, allowing four hits and one walk while striking out six. 

His velocity reached a new max, touching 97.5 mph, according to Baseball Savant. In his start against the Reds in Bristol, he topped out at 96.2 mph. 

Once again, his splitter was lethal, with five of his six strikeouts coming on the pitch. It hangs above the knees just long enough at the bottom of the zone to fool hitters. Then, it drops off the table.   

“It’s been reliable all year, and that’s kind of what I’m known for - to have it in my back pocket,” Waldrep said after the game. “We used it in several different counts - early, late - but using it to both hands and had a lot of success with it.”

While working with Sean Murphy, he’s started to develop his sinker. While the two looked over things in the video room, the veteran catcher suggested using the pitch in spots where Waldrep had been using his four-seam fastball. 

Now, that pitch has taken over. The sinker was used 18 times compared to 12 times we saw the four-seamer. The only pitch he threw more was his go-to out pitch, the splitter (28). 

Along with switching up his arsenal, a key change came through his mechanics. He simplified his leg kick, keeping it a little lower during his delivery. 

“This is going to allow me to get the right rhythm, not have too much movement, and we can produce the same velocity, if not more, with a different leg kick, and the base thing has been command,” he said. “Just commanding both sides of the plate with all pitches, and the payoff that we’ve seen from something like that has been awesome.” 

All the work and the results that came with it have led to an increase in confidence in what he can do. 

“It always happens,” manager Brian Snitker said. “When they come up here, and you send them back, they’re always better the next time. They always are, and most just have to do that. The majority of them do.”

Snitker added that having the experience of having been there before goes a long way the next time around. 

The more confident, more refined Waldrep is positioned to stick around this time after two starts. He isn’t the extra player for the doubleheader. The Braves officially called him up, and it doesn’t seem like he’s going back down so quickly. 

He’s finally the next in line among the young pitchers who have stepped up in the Braves' rotation over the last couple seasons. With how things are going, he’ll be a frontrunner to be in the rotation in 2026. 

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