This is absolutely amazing in Atlanta.
Braves' Hurston Waldrep is on a historic rookie run only seen in MLB by Fernando-Mania in 1981 originally appeared on The Sporting News
Those who were around for Fernando-Mania probably never expected to see anything like that ever again. Fernando Valenzuela took Major League Baseball by storm when he arrived as a rookie for the Brooklyn Dodgers.
And while the hubbub is far from the same, there's a pitcher in 2025 doing similar things statistically. His name is Hurston Waldrep, and he's off to a historic start to his career with the Atlanta Braves.
This is how OptaStats shared the comparison on Wednesday:
"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."
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The Braves are out of the pennant race, which has not helped Waldrep gain any acclaim.
But the 23-year old right-hander is doing what he can to be noticed.
This is how his first four starts break down:
- Aug. 2 at Reds: 5.2 IP, 1 R, 4 K
- Aug. 9 vs. Marlins: 6.0 IP, 1 R, 6 K
- Aug. 15 at Guardians: 6.0 IP, 0 R, 7 K
- Aug. 20 vs. White Sox: 7.0 IP, 0 R, 7 K
All told, Waldrep has allowed 13 hits in 24.2 innings while walking six. Opponents are hitting just .159 off of him.
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Waldrep has some prospect pedigree. He was ranked in the top-100 by multiple services before 2024. Before this season, he just made it into the No. 93 spot from Baseball Prospectus.
But this season at Triple-A Gwinnett, Waldrep had a 4.42 ERA in 19 starts.
Now, he's got a 0.73 ERA in four MLB starts.
Regression is surely coming, but that's not fun to think about.
Right now, Waldrep is on a historic run, and that's pretty darn awesome.
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