Former Gators Starting Pitcher Dominates Again for Atlanta Braves

Hurston Waldrep dominated again for the Atlanta Braves en route to a series opener win over the Cleveland Guardians. The former Gators weekend starter pitched six scoreless innings, allowing two hits and two walks while striking out seven. 

Six of his seven strikeouts came on the spitter, with another coming on the slider. The addition of the sinker has proved to be a game-changer for him. 

It was the first scoreless outing of his career. In all three outings this season, he has allowed no one more than one run. 

He’s improved to 3-0 on the campaign with a 1.02 ERA, a 0.79 WHIP and 17 strikeouts in 17 2/3 innings pitched. His addition to the big league roster is going better than they could have anticipated. The Braves likely would have been happy if he were simply serviceable, especially given how rocky his first Major League stint was last season. 

With each start, Waldrep is showing that he’s more than a solid emergency starter. He is finally showing that he belongs in the Majors and in the rotation full-time. 

It shows how quickly the narrative can change in someone’s favor. 

Not too long ago, he looked far from reaching this point. On June 8, his ERA in Triple-A was 6.35. When the Braves' rotation started to experience injuries, there was a hesitation to call him up.

Bullpen days, other prospects with less experience and veteran starters brought in via trades all got shots before he did. 

Even as Waldrep started to turn things around, it wasn’t a guarantee that he would get called up. A week before the deadline, Waldrep was reportedly heading to the show, but the acquisitions of Erick Fedde and later Carlos Carrasco kept him in Triple-A.

Only when the MLB Speedway Classic game was pushed back a day due to weather did the Braves finally give him the call. After getting up early for a drive at 5 a.m. to Bristol, Tenn., Waldrep made his chance count, pitching 5 2/3 innings of one-run ball in what was officially a relief outing against the Cincinnati Reds. 

A week later, he pitched six innings of one-run ball in the top half of the doubleheader against the Marlins. 

If he keeps this performance up, he likely won’t have to compete for a rotation spot next season. He’ll be a lock for Opening Day from the get-go and will likely be a favorite to hang onto the role as other pitchers return from injuries. 

Waldrep spent one season with Florida as a junior, going 10-3 with a 4.16 ERA while making all 19 of his scheduled weekend starts. His 156 strikeouts in a single season rank second all-time in program history. He was named Second Team All-American by D1 Baseball and was selected to the 2023 Gainesville Regional All-Tournament team. 

He helped lead them to an appearance in the College World Series, where they fell a win short of their second national championship.

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