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Hurston Waldrep has joined elite company

Originally posted on SportsTalkATL | By Chase Irle | Last updated Aug 21, 2025 10:00 AM ET

There’s little doubt about it at this point: Hurston Waldrep is far and away the Braves best starting pitcher on the roster.

Injuries have something to do with that. The Braves are down all five members of their Opening Day roster. But even if everyone was healthy, not many pitchers in the entire league have pitched as well as Hurston Waldrep over his first four appearances with the big-league club.

Looking for their fourth straight series win, the Braves handed the ball to 2023 first-round pick, and he delivered a gem. The rookie right-hander was nearly flawless, tossing seven scoreless innings while allowing just five baserunners and striking out seven.

Atlanta needed every bit of it, too. The offense managed only a single run, but Waldrep’s brilliance made it stand up in a 1-0 victory. In four appearances, he is now 4-0 with a 0.73 ERA, joining some elite company.

Hurston Waldrep of the @Braves is the second MLB rookie in the modern era to earn the win in each of his first 4 appearances of a season while allowing 1 run or fewer in each.

The other was Fernando Valenzuela in 1981. pic.twitter.com/sqb8bfzTIf

— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) August 21, 2025

This explosion really came out of nowhere too. Not long ago, Hurston Waldrep was flirting with a 6.00 ERA in Gwinnett, and some were thinking it might be best if he made the transition to the bullpen.

Around that time, he made some mechanical adjustments in his delivery and also moved away from his four-seam fastball, replacing it with a cutter and sinker. That’s made all the difference in the world, as he now looks like a staple of the rotation for years to come.

Waldrep’s emergence is probably the biggest development of the Braves entire season. With so many injuries, there are a lot of questions about who is going to fill out the rotation next season. The Braves desperately needed one of their prospect arms to step up, and with each passing start, Waldrep’s name on the 2026 Opening Day roster is becoming permanent ink.

This article first appeared on SportsTalkATL and was syndicated with permission.

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