This Braves top prospect is off to a horrid start to the season

The Braves farm system might not feature many bats, but it is loaded with high quality arms that will eventually make their way to Atlanta. Among them is 2023 first-round pick Hurston Waldrep, who was the Braves highest-rated prospect to begin the season in AAA Gwinnett after experiencing a cup of coffee at the major-league level last year.

During that short stint with the Braves, Waldrep’s flaws were depicted very clearly. His control was nowhere near where it needed to be to start games in the majors, and his secondary stuff, outside of his patented splitter, needed work. However, progression, especially among pitchers, is never linear. The hope is that Waldrep can take that next step this year, and the Braves might need him to.

With Reynaldo Lopez potentially out for the season, the back of the rotation is rocky. So much so, the club is still giving opportunities to Bryce Elder to start games, despite him doing nothing to deserve such opportunities. AJ Smith-Shawver will likely replace Elder in the rotation next time around, but with 140+ games still left on the schedule, the Braves will need more than just five guys to make starts the rest of the way.

Perhaps Hurston Waldrep is one of them, but he’ll have to show a lot more than what he has so far this season. After a more than solid first outing, in which he tossed 5.1 innings of one-run ball with seven strikeouts, Waldrep has followed it up with two stinkers. He’s allowed nine earned runs over his last two starts and only completed 7.2 innings.

The big issue? Walks. Waldrep has walked eight batters in those 7.2 innings compared to just one walk in his first start. It’s an issue that often plagues a lot of young arms, but it’s not one that can be overlooked. There’s no chance of being successful at the major-league when giving up a plethora of free passes. Until that’s fixed, the Braves can’t even consider Hurston Waldrep as an option.

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Photo: David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire

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