It has been a hard knock life for Atlanta Braves fans this season. Searching for silver linings has become akin to sifting for precious metals in your local stream. It's not impossible, but the wins are few and far between. And yet, Atlanta recently completed a three-game sweep of the emergent Miami Marlins, which is a nice feather in their cap as the Braves attempt to salvage what dignity they can from a lost season.
Among the many impressive performers from this weekend's sweep was 23-year-old RHP Hurston Waldrep, making only his fourth MLB start. Waldrep pitched six innings, allowing four hits, one walk and one earned run. He put up six strikeouts. He now has a 1.54 ERA and 0.86 WHIP with 10 strikeouts in 11.2 innings since earning his call-up a week ago.
That is a tiny, tiny sample size — Waldrep notably pitched to a 16.71 ERA and 2.43 WHIP in 7.0 innings last season — but it's encouraging growth from a former top prospect. Not long ago, Waldrep was billed as the next up-and-coming ace in a Braves system known for developing pitchers. Now he's rekindling a bit of that optimism.
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Hurston Waldrep's breakout gives Braves fans something to look forward to
It's fair to wonder how sustainable this is for Waldrep. The Braves were scraping the bottom of the barrel of available pitchers before his call-up. Waldrep's 4.42 ERA in 19 starts with Triple-A Gwinnett this season did not exactly paint the portrait of a burgeoning star. In fact, that is the lowest ERA of his minor-league career, hinting at regression — not progression.
And yet, Waldrep has plenty of strong indicators. He won't produce a high strikeout rate, but the righty peppers batters with five distinct pitches. He can mix and match speeds, shifting primarily between a mid-80s splitter and a mid-90s sinker. That produces a lot of soft groundball contact that the defense behind him can take care of.
Should this breakout prove legitimate on some level, Atlanta has a new long-term weapon to work into the rotation. Looking ahead to 2026, suddenly the Braves' pitching staff is utterly formidable. AJ Smith-Shawver was throwing gas before his season-ending elbow surgery. Reynaldo López, Spencer Strider, Chris Sale and Spencer Schwellenbach, in a perfect world, will all begin the 2026 campaign at full strength. Atlanta has ample depth in the pitching department.
Phillies, Mets need to be cautious of Braves bounce-back in 2026
Last season, we said "if the Braves can just stay healthy..." We shall all repeat those words in 2026, and it's true. A healthy Braves team still looks the part of a contender on paper. We can quibble with Alex Anthopoulos' questionable trade deadline moves, but Atlanta's roster is stacked with proven veterans. A top-shelf rotation only gives them a better cushion against declining offense. Just imagine of the lineup actually trends in a more positive direction.
It's hard to pick against the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Mets moving forward, but Atlanta has the ammo. They just need the baseball gods to offer a reprieve from the constant barrage of injury setbacks. Philly has several key pieces hitting free agency this winter. The Mets' pitching staff is a mess. The NL East feels intimidating, but there's a wide-open lane for the Braves, a team we thought of as a borderline juggernaut only a couple years ago.
If Waldrep is finally tapping into his substantial upside, Atlanta is in a good position heading into next season.