Gators’ right-handed pitcher Hurston Waldrep has been selected by the Atlanta Braves with the 24th pick in the first round of the 2023 MLB Draft. Waldrep’s selection marks the 19th first round pick in program history and the 13th pitcher (8th under Kevin O’Sullivan).
Both Wyatt Langford and Hurston Waldrep were selected in the first 24 picks, making the duo just the fourth pair of Gators selected in the first round of the same draft, all of which were under Kevin O’Sullivan.
The Thomasville, Georgia native started his collegiate career at Southern Miss before transferring to Florida for his final year. In his lone season in Gainesville, Waldrep worked to a 10-3 record, posting a 4.16 ERA across 19 starts.
Waldrep has some of the best swing and miss stuff in the country as the hard throwing right hander struck out 156 batters across 101.2 innings in 2023, finishing one strikeout short of the single-season strikeout record set by Alex Faedo in 2017 (157).
“If you want to see what first round baseball looks like,” South Carolina’s starting pitcher Jack Mahoney said on Waldrep after game two of the Gainesville Super Regional. “That’s a first-round guy.”
WHAT THE BRAVES ARE GETTING IN WALDREP
The xx are getting a pitcher that has a variety of go-to pitches and holds one of the higher ceilings in the MLB draft. His splitter was commonly referred to as one of the best pitches in all of college baseball as it held a swing and miss rate of 63.4%, the second highest figure in the country. Waldrep’s fastball sits at 97-98 early in games and holds above 94-95 later in his outings. If Waldrep can consistently locate at least two of his pitches, he’ll be in the MLB sooner rather than later.
What They’re Saying About Waldrep
MLB Pipeline
“The right-hander has a legitimate three-pitch power mix, with all three offerings having the potential to be at least above-average. He was 95-99 mph in his looks this fall and that’s carried over this spring, though he’s struggled to command the heater at times. His best secondary offering is his split-change, a well-above-average pitch that misses an extraordinary amount of bats. His hard upper-80s slider also flashes plus and can be an out pitch. While Waldrep is generally around the strike zone, there is a little effort in his up-tempo delivery, causing some inconsistencies with his command and control, which led to an uptick in his walk rate this spring. Those kinds of things can be ironed out, and his pure stuff still has him in early first-round conversations.”
Baseball America
“Waldrep is a 6-foot-2, 210-pound righthander who attacks hitters with electric arm speed and some of the best pure stuff in the class… His fastball sits 95-96 mph and has been up to 99 mph and he has a trio of secondaries that are all now swing-and-miss offerings. His upper-80s split-changeup is a vicious pitch that completely falls off the table as it approaches the plate with 1,200 rpm spin and around 14 inches of IVB separation from his fastball. He also throws a downer, 12-to-6 curveball in the low 80s and a hard, mid-80s slider. He flashes four plus offerings, but he sprays his fastball consistently and will need to throw the ball over the plate more frequently in pro ball to stick as a starter.”
CAREER ACCOLADES
2023 First Team Preseason All-American (Collegiate Baseball)
2022 Third Team All-American (D1Baseball)