The first day of the 2023 MLB draft has come to a close and the Atlanta Braves leaned heavily on bolstering their rotations throughout the organization by selecting three pitchers with their first three picks on Sunday.
Coming into the draft with the 24th pick in the first-round, the 59th pick in the second-round and a compensation pick at No. 70, the Braves went with Florida RHP Hurston Waldrep with their initial selection.
Waldrep’s proficiency with his off-speed pitches made him a desirable pick for the club, he carries a shattering split-change that rolls in anywhere from 85-89 mph and falls off the table just before getting to home plate. Despite a less-than-favorable ERA of 4.16 this past season, it’s his performance during the College World Series that put the Braves front office on notice. Waldrep struck out 12 batters against UConn in the regional round, followed that up with 13 Ks over eight scoreless against South Carolina in the super regionals, and then fanned 12 Oral Roberts batters over six innings at the College World Series.
Given the Braves track record with drafting pitchers out of college and setting them on the fast track to the big leagues, i.e. current MLB All-Stars and Cy Young candidates Bryce Elder and Spencer Strider, you can expect the Braves coaching staff to have confidence that Waldrep will come into form sooner rather than later. While his control is in need of improvement, he’s also capable of hitting 99 mph with his fastball and struck out 156 batters over 101 2/3 innings for the Gators.
In the second round, P Drue Hackenberg out of Virginia Tech was selected. Hackenberg had a solid 2022 for the Hokies but took a significant step back in 2023 as his ERA rose from 3.30 to 5.80 between the two seasons. The 6’2”, 220lb right-hander went 5-8 last season with 99 K’s and 26 BB. If the coaching staff can get him back into his 2022 form, he has a chance to be a durable workhorse-type of starting pitcher.
With a compensatory pick at #70, received for Dansby Swanson signing with the Chicago Cubs, the Braves closed out their first day of the draft by choosing RHP Cade Kuehler from Campbell. Kuehler posted a 2.71 ERA over 13 starts and 73 innings for the Camels. His full arsenal of pitches gives the club some flexibility with his development and look for some tweaks to his mechanics to improve his command.
