Tag: Hurston Waldrep

Former Gator RHP Hurston Waldrep promoted to High-A Rome

Former Florida right-hander Hurston Waldrep is moving up to High-A ball after ONE dominant start in Single-A.

Wyatt Langford isn’t the only 2023 Florida baseball draftee moving up the minor league ranks rather quickly. Right-hander [autotag]Hurston Waldrep[/autotag], who was selected 24th overall by the Atlanta Braves in the 2023 MLB draft, is being called up to High-A Rome (Braves) after just one dominant start for the Augusta GreenJackets in Single-A.

Waldrep skipped the rookie levels of the minor almost entirely. The Braves sent him straight to Augusta, skipping over the complex league where most rookies wet their boots. All he did was strike out eight batters in three innings.

As usual, Waldrep’s splitter dropped off the table, baffling right-handers and setting up a high fastball that came in anywhere from 94-97 mph. He did give up two runs on three hits and a walk during the outing, but only one was earned.

Waldrep has a chance to quickly make his way into most top-100 prospect lists. His splitter might have been the most dominant pitch in college baseball last season and was getting MLB comparisons in May.

The Braves used a first-round pick and signed him to a deal worth 92% of the slot value. Their intention is to move him up as quickly as possible. All Waldrep has to do is pitch well at each level he reaches. So far, so good. Let’s see how High-A treats him.

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CBS Sports’ draft grades for Wyatt Langford, Hurston Waldrep picks

CBS Sports gives superlative grades for both of the Gators drafted in the first round.

The first two rounds of the 2023 Major League Baseball amateur draft are officially in the books, which saw a trio of former Gators taken — including a pair in the first round alone. While one player had a chance to be the first Florida alumnus taken first overall, both of the first-rounders still did well for themselves.

Firstly, outfielder [autotag]Wyatt Langford[/autotag] — who was expected to be among the first three selected on Sunday and a possible 1:1 pick — was drafted by the Texas Rangers at No. 4 overall after the Detroit Tigers passed him over for a high schooler. CBS Sports’ R.J. Anderson put together his draft grades on Monday morning and here is what gave the Langford pick.

Langford would have been a good get at No. 1 most years, so landing him at No. 4 is a great value. He’s a potential middle-of-the-order hitter who torched SEC pitching (.350/.484/.720 with one fewer walk than strikeout). He boasts sneaky athleticism and a veteran scout estimated he had a coin flip’s chance of remaining in center into his big-league days, so don’t be surprised if the Rangers give him a long look there. Grade: A

Secondly, there is starting pitcher [autotag]Hurston Waldrep[/autotag], who was plucked at No. 24 by his childhood favorite Atlanta Braves. Here is how that pick graded out.

Some scouts and analysts who spoke to CBS Sports in the lead up to the draft considered Waldrep worthy of a top-10 selection. That’s because he has some of the nastiest stuff in the class, including an elite splitter that very well could be this year’s best individual offering. Waldrep slipped because of his command: he walked more than 14% of SEC foes he faced, giving him more relief risk than some of his peers. The Braves can afford to swing for the fences this late in the first. Grade: A

Finally, starting pitcher Brandon Sproat was taken by the New York Mets at No. 56 overall. Anderson did not offer grades for selections made after the first 28.

The 2023 MLB draft continues on Monday for rounds three through 10. Things fire back up at 2 p.m. EDT and can be followed on live stream at MLB.com.

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Hurston Waldrep drafted 24th overall by Atlanta Braves

Hurston Waldrep’s one year in the Swamp won’t be forgotten, and Gators fans can keep cheering him on in the Atlanta Braves organization.

Right-hander [autotag]Hurston Waldrep[/autotag] transferred from Southern Miss to Florida last offseason to help boost his draft stock, and that gambit paid off Sunday as the Atlanta Braves drafted him 24th overall in the first round of the 2023 MLB Draft.

Waldrep cemented himself as a first-round pick as the Gators’ Saturday night starter. An incredible run through the College World Series put him on the radar of every scout seeking a college arm. Although his fastball can reach up to 98 miles per hour at times, it’s the splitter that has MLB experts so excited about him.

When Waldrep can command his splitter, he generates a ton of a swing and miss and is a threat to neutralize any offense. He also has a slider that works well, especially when the other two pitches are hitting their marks.

He finished the 2023 campaign with a 4.16 ERA and 156 strikeouts over 101 2/3 innings. His 12.7% walk rate could use some work, but his 34.7% strikeout rate made up for it.

Waldrep is the 19th Florida baseball player to be drafted in the first round and the 27th arm to be selected in the first five rounds under head coach Kevin O’Sullivan.

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Here’s where The Athletic’s Keith Law expects Wyatt Langford to be drafted

Outfielder Wyatt Langford and starting pitcher Hurston Waldrep are the two former Florida Gators expected to be drafted on Sunday night.

There is a good chance a member of the Florida baseball team will make school history on Sunday night at the 2023 Major League Baseball amateur draft held in Seattle, Washington, to help kick off this summer’s All-Star Game festivities.

Outfielder Wyatt Langford, who has been a consensus top-five pick stretching back to the college preseason, is one of three prospects in the draft that are as “cannot miss” as one can get. Along with LSU Tigers‘ outfielder Dylan Crews and starting pitcher Paul Skenes, the trio comprise one of the strongest tops of the draft seen in recent years.

While the selection predictions have varied from writer to writer, Langford’s stock has been steadily ascending, with a large handful of the media seeing him taken first overall by the Pittsburgh Pirates. Among those is The Atheltic’s Keith Law, who published his final mock draft on Sunday and put the Gator at the No. 1 position.

Langford has clearly been on the short list for the Pirates all year, but with Dylan Crews appearing to want over slot to sign here and the team’s apparent preference for a bat over an arm possibly leading them away from Paul Skenes, Langford is the best fit as someone who’s absolutely good enough to be the first overall pick but would sign at a number that will let the Pirates go over slot with later picks. Don’t discount Max Clark here either, for the same reasons, although I think the Pirates would prefer the college guy who’ll get there faster. Clark is motivated to go first overall and there’s a very good argument that he has the highest upside of any candidate to go here.

Law also has starting pitcher [autotag]Hurston Waldrep[/autotag] taken at No. 21 by the St. Louis Cardinals.

The Cardinals’ first-round pick last year was a big “pitch shape” guy, Cooper Hjerpe, although he’s currently on the shelf with an arm issue. Waldrep is another such player, featuring one of the best pitches in the draft in his power splitter.

St. Louis is also linked to Schanuel, Wilson, a little with Kevin McGonigle (who might end up at Auburn), and Chase Davis.

The 2023 MLB draft starts at 7 p.m. EDT and the first two rounds can be watched on ESPN and the MLB Network.

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A final look at Gators in MLB.com’s 2023 mock draft

Here’s a last glance at what some of the draft experts think will happen Sunday night.

The 2023 Major League Baseball amateur draft is scheduled to start on Sunday night at 7 p.m. EDT in Seattle, Washington, to kick off a week of All-Star Game festivities. This summer, a pair of former Florida Gators are expected to be selected in the first round of the draft — with a possibility of a couple more joining them in the compensations rounds.

The main focus has been on outfielder [autotag]Wyatt Langford[/autotag], who helped power the Orange and Blue to a College World Series finals appearance despite an injury that slowed him down midseason. According to both Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo in their final mock draft for MLB.com before the fireworks begin, the standout from Trenton, Florida, is expected to be taken in the top spot by the Pittsburgh Pirates — which would make him the first Gator ever to achieve the feat.

Here is what Callis had to offer.

It looks like one of the three Southeastern Conference superstars for the Pirates, and probably one of the hitters. Money aside, most teams would take Louisiana State outfielder Dylan Crews, but clubs can’t just put money aside in the bonus pool era, and he’s going to command more than Langford. How much more? Probably $500,000 and maybe closer to $1 million. Personally, I’d take Louisiana State right-hander Paul Skenes because of the rarity of his talent, and it wouldn’t shock me if Pittsburgh opted for him.

As for Mayo, here is how he feels.

Here’s how I ended up with this, with the disclaimer that the Pirates will continue to work through all possibilities involving the top five players: There’s a growing sense that the Pirates are leaning toward a bat over an arm (Paul Skenes), and despite the buzz, I think Dylan Crews is still in play. That said, the chatter that he wasn’t their guy was hard to ignore. So if he’s off the table, that likely leaves Langford and Max Clark, and it could come down to whatever combination of agreement on talent and cost. There were scouts who felt Langford was just as good as Crews — or at least close — and would sign for less. And he’d be the “get to the big leagues faster” option over Clark.

The other former Florida product expected to go on the opening night is starting pitcher [autotag]Hurston Waldrep[/autotag], who Callis has going at No. 12 to the Arizona Diamondbacks.

After being tied to Houck for a while, the D-backs apparently prefer collegians. Lowder, Teel and Dollander would be in play if still available. If not, Waldrep would be the top pitching option and several college shortstops (Maryland’s Matt Shaw, Stanford’s Tommy Troy, Wilson) could be attractive.

Mayo also agreed that the right-hander is a first-round talent, he picked him to be taken by the Milwaukee Brewers at No. 18 overall.

Sticking with the Brewers breaking their college hitter streak by taking Waldrep, the last of the college arms that seems certain to go in the opening round. But if they can’t kick the habit, they could look at Schanuel or Davis.

Also mentioned was starting pitcher [autotag]Brandon Sproat[/autotag], who Callis believes will be taken at no. 39 overall by the Oakland Athletics.

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Perfect Game projects two Gators to be top-15 picks in 2023 MLB draft

The 2023 MLB draft should feature a few Florida Gators early on, but where exactly do experts think they’ll end up?

The 2023 MLB draft is less than a week away, and Perfect Game has two Gators going in the first 11 picks of its latest first-round mock draft.

Wyatt Langford, who has long been considered one of the top two college bats in the draft, slipped down to No. 5 overall (Minnesota), and Hurston Waldrep moved up to No. 11 (Los Angeles) after a strong College World Series performance.

The Langford dip has little to do with the Gator’s performance. There’s a growing feeling among industry insiders that the Pittsburgh Pirates are looking to get a discount player with first-overall picks, and high-school No. 1 Max Clark seems like a natural fit. Clark wants to go first overall and would is the most likely candidate to work out a deal.

If Clark goes first, most expect Washington to take LSU’s Paul Skenes at No. 2. Stephen Strasburg’s arm is falling off and Paul Skenes might be the most hyped draft arm since Strasburg in 2009. That leaves the Detroit Tigers to pick between one of the two college bats, LSU’s Dylan Crews and Langford.

Although Detroit has been linked to Langford for some time, it would be hard to pass up the Golden Spikes winner who was expected to go first overall until this mock came out.

Waldrep at No. 11 isn’t too surprising. Scouts fell in love over a ridiculous postseason run, and an ugly last start isn’t going to scare too many teams off. Los Angeles. Assuming, Skenes goes at No. 2 and Rhett Lowder (Wake Forest) is off the board, Waldrep could even jump into the top 10. Perfect Game has Colorado taking Chase Dollander from Tennesee at No. 9 overall, but Waldrep could jump even further ahead.

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Four Gators earn D1Baseball All-America honors for 2023 season

These four players were instrumental in the program’s near-championship finish in 2023. 

D1Baseball announced its 2023 All-America awards on Thursday afternoon which included a quartet of Florida baseball players who were instrumental in the program’s near-championship finish in 2023.

Two-way player [autotag]Jac Caglianone[/autotag] and outfielder [autotag]Wyatt Langford[/autotag] both made the first team while shortstop [autotag]Josh Rivera[/autotag] and starting pitcher [autotag]Hurston Waldrep[/autotag] made the second team. Langford is one of six players to repeat as a D1Baseball All-American while Waldrep is also among that group having earned 2022 Third Team All-American by D1Baseball last year.

Waldrep’s D1Baseball honor is the only one he garnered during the 2023 campaign. On the other hand, the announcement officially makes Caglianone and Langford unanimous First Team All-Americans while Rivera earned a spot on all five major publications’ lists.

Additionally, reliever Brandon Neely was honored as a Second Team All-American by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association while reliever Cade Fisher and infielder Cade Kurland were named Freshman All-Americans by Perfect Game.

As a whole, seven members of the Gators baseball team were recognized as 2023 All-Americans or Freshman All-Americans.

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Gators baseball players’ stock rose most after College World Series

These two Gators are likely to go among the first 50 — or earlier! — selected in the MLB draft next month.

It was a heartbreaking ending to a nearly storybook season for Florida baseball when the Orange and Blue fell in three games to the LSU Tigers in the 2023 College World Series Finals, which concluded on Monday. Now that the collegiate season is wrapped up, it is time to take a look at who will make the biggest splash in the upcoming Major League Baseball amateur draft.

Among those expected to be drafted early is Wyatt Langford, who has been projected as a top-five selection since the beginning of the season — and his performance this spring only helped his cause. However, a pair of his teammates saw their stock rise after the conclusion of CWS.

MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo responded to a mailbag question on Wednesday asking which players got the biggest boost from the college postseason. His answer included starting pitcher [autotag]Hurston Waldrep[/autotag] and this is what he had to offer on the talented right-hander.

If you expand beyond the time in Omaha to include regional and super regional play, Florida right-hander Hurston Waldrep comes to mind. He’s at No. 19 now, which doesn’t represent much movement on the rankings because stuff-wise, he’s long belonged in the first round. But inconsistencies in his performance, particularly command, held him back. While his final CWS start wasn’t great, Waldrep had a string of three starts – regional, super regional and his first College World Series start – where he went 21 innings and gave up just two runs on 15 hits and only seven walks while striking out 37.

Also mentioned was shortstop [autotag]Josh Rivera[/autotag], who broke out this season after being more of a glove-first player before finding his groove at the plate.

We also thought his teammate, shortstop Josh Rivera, helped himself. We moved him from No. 111 to No. 87 and he looks like one of the best seniors in the class, one who could go in the second round. He finished the year with an OPS over 1.000, 19 homers and 18 steals, all while showing he’s a very capable infield defender up the middle.

The MLB draft will be held from July 9-11 in Seattle, Washington, in conjunction with this summer’s MLB All-Star Game.

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ESPN has two Gators going in top 20 of 2023 MLB draft

Florida’s 2023 baseball roster featured plenty of future big leaguers, and a couple of them should hear their names called early in the upcoming draft.

The college baseball season might be over, but Gators fans can still follow the team through the MLB draft, which begins on July 9.

Plenty of Florida players should hear their names called, but a couple of them should come off the board in the very first round. Wyatt Langford has been a projected top-3 pick for some time, and ESPN’s latest mock draft still has him going to the Detroit Tigers.

The Tigers brought in team president Scott Harris to right the ship last season, and word is that the Detroit front office wants a college bat. LSU’s Dylan Crews and Paul Skenes are expected to go first and second overall, so Langford is the obvious option at No. 3 for the Tigers. If Detroit decided to go with a different position, Langford would not last long on the draft board.

The other Gator expected to go in the top 20 is right-hander Hurston Waldrep, who was stellar through the postseason until a short night against LSU. Regardless of that last game, Waldrep did wonders for his draft stock by showing off two true breaking balls and a 99-mph heater.

ESPN has him going at No. 17 overall to the Baltimore Orioles. The battery of Waldrep and Adley Rutschmann could be legendary, but the Florida righty could go as early as No. 12. Should he fall, don’t expect him to last past the 20th pick.

The big question remaining is whether or not Brandon Sproat will sneak into the first round. ESPN has him going at No. 40 as a competitive balance pick. Is that technically a first-rounder? Probably not, but it’s still millions and markedly not the second round.

Florida commit Steven Echavarria is another likely compensatory/competitive balance pick. Florida got pretty lucky losing just a few commits to the draft, but this year could go differently.

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Two Gators projected to go in first round of 2023 MLB draft

With the 2023 MLB draft approaching, which Florida Gators are expected to go in the first round?

Any Florida fan that’s watched a Gators game during the team’s current College World Series run knows that the club has an exceptional amount of talent.

Many players on the 2023 roster will end up in the major leagues at some point, but only a couple are expected to be selected in the first round of the upcoming MLB draft. On Monday, the Sporting News’ Edward Sutelan took a shot at projecting the entire first round and Florida right-hander Hurston Waldrep joined outfielder Wyatt Langford on the list.

Langford, who has held onto the No. 3 spot in most draft rankings throughout the season, is once again drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the mock draft. LSU outfielder Dylan Crews has been the consensus No. 1 pick for over a year, only to be challenged by his teammate, right-hander Paul Skenes, who looks like a plug-and-play ace.

The Washington Nationals seem like a perfect fit for Skenes at the No. 2 spot, especially with Stephen Strasburg aging quickly on the mound. There have been some rumors of Pittsburgh taking a discount at the No. 1 pick, but Langford giving up money to jump two spots and come off the board first doesn’t make much sense.

“Wyatt Langford is a compelling No. 2 college bat behind Crews,” Sutelan wrote. “He has more power than his LSU counterpart but is a tick behind him in speed and overall hitting ability, though both are more a testament to Crews’ standout abilities than a knock on Langford, who in any other year would be the clear favorite to be the top college bat off the board.

“Langford is more likely to be a corner outfielder, but one with middle-of-the-order potential as a player who combines a well-rounded hit tool with power and speed to boot.”

Waldrep gets drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals at No. 21 overall in this mock, but he could go even higher if he caps off an incredible postseason with one more masterful start (assuming Florida makes it to the College World Series championship).

Major-league scouts are left drooling after seeing Waldrep’s “split-change” in person, and the slider has become a reliable breaking pitch to generate even more swing and miss. Add in the fact that Waldrep has a fastball that can touch 98-99 mph and 21st overall seems a bit low. Skenes and Wake Forest’s Rhett Lowder are the only other two college right-handers ahead of him, though.

“The Cardinals have found success drafting college arms in recent years with first-round picks like Zack Thompson (Kentucky) in 2019, Michael McGreevy (UC Santa Barbara) in 2021 and Cooper Hjerpe (Oregon State) in 2022. While most have been control and command over stuff, Hurston Waldrep could give them a high-upside college arm in the system after underperforming in 2023 with overpowering stuff.

“His high velo and dominant off-speed offerings give him ace upside, even if a bit of risk given his struggles with command as a junior.”

Although he isn’t listed by Sutelan, Florida shortstop Josh Rivera could sneak into the compensatory portion of the first round (picks 30-39). There are a ton of shortstops expected to go in the first round, including more than half a dozen players coming out of high school, but Rivera might be a better option for some teams that want to go the college route.

Sutelan has Grand Canyon shortstop Jacob Wilson coming off the board 10th overall to Marlins and Ole Miss’ Jacob Gonzalez going No. 13 to the Cubs. Rivera came back for an extra year of college, which hurts his leverage in the draft, but he performed just as well as the other two.

This is where a team that’s looking to save money in the first round could jump on Rivera and work out a deal, though. Right-hander Brandon Sproat is another name that could go in the first few rounds, but he might not have done quite enough to jump up from that third-round spot he went in last year.

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