Hurston Waldrep

Waldrep's best stretch of 2024 was an eight-start run from April 20 through June 2, when he logged a 1.68 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 52:13 K:BB in 48.1 innings, primarily at Double-A. From there, he was promoted to the majors where he struggled mightily in two starts before suffering an elbow injury that cost him six weeks. He never fully settled back in at Triple-A once healthy, as he managed a 2.30 ERA at that level but his 1.47 WHIP and 27:20 K:BB in 31.1 innings paint an ugly picture. The balls and strikes challenge system at Triple-A didn't help matters for Waldrep, whose poor control has been his one big knock dating back to college. He has a devastating splitter and a mid-90s fastball, but his fastball lacks ideal shape and movement, and it's his third-best pitch behind his splitter and upper-80s slider. His Aug. 16 start where he walked six batters and struck out five over five scoreless innings is Waldrep in a nutshell - he could have success as a starter, but he isn't particularly close to doing so consistently due to his poor control. There's long been a thought that Waldrep could eventually fit best as a late-inning reliever, where his fastball might tick up to triple digits and his slider could touch 91-92 mph while relying on his plus-plus splitter to sit batters down, but Atlanta will likely keep trying to develop him as a starter in 2025.