The Braves don’t have the most loaded farm system, but they continue to nail draft picks at an alarming rate, sending guys to the majors every season. It’s a testament to Alex Anthopoulos and this scouring department, and the next guys up are AJ Smith-Shawver and Hurston Waldrep. Both of whom landed on Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report’s top 100 prospects list entering the new year.
Waldrep was one of the best arms coming out of the draft last year. The former Florida Gator was somehow still available when the Braves came on the clock, who scooped him up with the 21st overall pick, and it hasn’t taken him long to rocket up prospect lists everywhere.
After striking out 156 batters in just 101.2 innings for the Gators, Waldrep’s professional career could not have gotten off to a better start. He made one start in A-ball before receiving a promotion to High-A Rome, where he recorded a 0.75 ERA in three starts. Waldrep was then promoted to AA Mississippi where he was equally as impressive before ending his season with 4.1 scoreless innings with the Gwinnett Stripers. It was about as impressive of a start as the Braves could have hoped for, opening up a legitimate possibility that we could see Waldrep in the majors as early as this season, and he landed at #67 on Reuter’s list of the league’s top prospects entering 2024.
But while Waldrep’s climb in half a season was incredible, it doesn’t come close to what we saw from AJ Smith-Shawver last season at just 20 years old. The hard-throwing right-hander began the year in High-A Rome, and by early June, he found himself making his MLB debut. I can’t remember a rise through the ranks quite like that by a player so young in my lifetime, but Smith-Shawver handled it remarkably well. In six MLB appearances (five starts), he recorded a 4.26 ERA with a 1.105 WHIP and 105 ERA+ (5% above league average). Keep in mind, this is a young man that became a full-time pitcher just a few years ago. Smith-Shawver has an incredibly high ceiling, clocking in just outside the top 40 of Reuter’s top 100 prospects entering 2024.
Smith-Shawver will compete for the fifth and final spot in the Braves rotation come Spring Training, and nobody should be surprised if he wins the job. Waldrep will also have the opportunity, but the great thing about the Braves’ offseason, is the starting pitching depth they acquired. This will allow them to take things slowly with their young arms, but if they continue to gain momentum, Smith-Shawver and Waldrep may force the Braves’ hand in calling them up to the majors.
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Photographer: Michael Wade/Icon Sportswire
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