Braves takeaways: Hurston Waldrep adjusts, thrives; Drake Baldwin, Michael Harris II stay hot

New York Times

20 hours ago

ATLANTA — In an eventful seven days for the Atlanta Braves that began with a win at the speedway in Bristol, Tenn., and ended with a series-clinching doubleheader sweep of the previously surging Miami Marlins, a pair of rookies gave Braves fans something to be excited about from the team's woeful season.
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It wasn't anything they hadn't already seen from catcher Drake Baldwin, a front-runner for NL Rookie of the Year, whose 10 RBIs in the first four games of the five-game Marlins series that ended Sunday were the most from a Braves rookie in any series in Atlanta-era franchise history and continued his season-long stellar play.
But Hurston Waldrep? Now that was something new, at least for those Braves fans whose only previous exposure to Waldrep was two MLB starts last season when he looked overmatched and overwhelmed by the stage.
These two rookies lead our takeaways from an eventful week for a team that's out of the postseason picture for the first time in eight years but has reason to feel good about its chances of being a contender again in 2026.
After getting torched for 13 runs, nine hits (including three homers) and eight walks in seven innings over two major-league starts in June 2024, Waldrep has displayed sweeping improvement in his first call-up since, allowing just two runs, seven hits and three walks with 10 strikeouts in 11 2/3 innings over two games last week.
The right-hander credits Braves veteran catcher Sean Murphy for a big early-season assist.
Murphy was on a season-opening rehab assignment at Triple-A Gwinnett when he caught Waldrep's first start April 1. It was a solid outing against Nashville — three hits and one run allowed in five innings. But Murphy thought Waldrep's repertoire, built around an outstanding splitter plus a four-seam fastball, slider and occasional curveballs, could be better served with the addition of a sinker (two-seam fastball).
'The day after (that) start, he called me in,' said Waldrep, 23. 'He's like, 'Hey, man, let's go over the start a little bit. Let's look over some things.' He noticed some things in my four-seam. He's like, 'I think it would be really easy for you to throw a sinker right here.' And I agreed. I threw in the bullpen two days later.'
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Murphy was activated by the Braves and gone before his next start, but the seed was planted. Waldrep felt comfortable with the sinker right away.
'It was a lot of video, a lot of comparing myself to other guys who have about the same arsenal and how it would play and work with (hitters on both sides),' he said. 'But (Murphy) was really helpful in the process and kind of opened some doors for me, and I knew that from what he was seeing that it would play really well.'
It's not the only change Waldrep has made this season. There's a noticeably shorter leg kick, which has helped improve his command without sacrificing velocity. He's also throwing a cutter and more curveballs.
But it's the sinker that's been a difference-making pitch at the big-league level. Waldrep has made it his second-most-used pitch behind the splitter and has thrown more than twice as many sinkers as four-seamers in two outings for Atlanta. He's using the sinker effectively against right-handed and left-handed hitters.
It's obviously a small sample, but opponents are 1-for-7 with a single against his sinker, 1-for-12 with nine strikeouts against his splitter, and 1-for-1 against his four-seam fastball.
'He was a first-round pick because he had arm strength and an out pitch with the split, but now he's pitching,' said Braves manager Brian Snitker, indicating the rookie would stay in the rotation.
'He's mixing the curveball, the split's still a really good pitch for him, the sinker instead of (four-seamer). He's not having to pitch at 98 (mph) to be effective. His command's a lot better. There's a lot of really good stuff to like.'
Waldrep pitched 5 2/3 innings of three-hit, one-run ball on extremely short notice Aug. 3 at Bristol. The game was suspended the night before, and he was driven 4 1/2 hours from Gwinnett early Sunday to face the Cincinnati Reds that day instead of making his scheduled Triple-A start.
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Then, with regular preparation, he limited the Marlins to four hits and one run in six innings Saturday, with one walk and six strikeouts. Waldrep threw 61 strikes in 89 pitches, and Miami's only hit through five innings was a bunt.
'He's just very aggressive in the strike zone right now. It's confidence,' Murphy said. 'I love the way he's throwing.'
Murphy, characteristically modest when asked about the sinker he introduced, downplayed his role and said Waldrep did all the work.
'I was just trying to give him options, to get to some other pitches and help him with not being quite as predictable,' Murphy said. 'And again, this is all a process with younger guys. They're always tweaking and looking for something. It's not like I haven't recommended pitches to guys before, but it's on the guy to develop the pitch.
'So the credit goes to Hurston. He's the one who went out there and developed the pitch, and it's comfortable now throwing it in big-league games after just a couple of months.'
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The offense from Baldwin has drawn praise since the first week of spring training, and teams that have faced him more than once this season have not been able to find weaknesses to exploit in the rookie's approach.
Baldwin, out of the lineup Sunday afternoon after catching Saturday night, leads all qualified NL rookies in slugging percentage (.477) and OPS (.834) and ranks second in average (.289) and OBP (.357). He's also second among NL rookies in homers (13) and RBIs (51), behind the Marlins' Agustín Ramirez (17 and 52).
Baldwin's 10 RBIs in the first four games of the five-game series against the Marlins set a Braves rookie record for any series in Atlanta franchise history. It was the most by any Brave in a series since Eddie Rosario had 10 in three games at the Colorado Rockies in June 2023.
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The Braves won 7-1 Sunday to take four of five from a Miami team that won 10 of its previous 14 games.
'He's a really, really good hitter,' Snitker said of Baldwin, 24. 'He has a lot of confidence in himself and understands that he can play here. He's a real good player in this league. And as he amasses at-bats and experience, he's just going to get better.'
What's made Baldwin's offense even more impressive is that he's done it primarily as a catcher — 54 starts at catcher, 10 at DH — with all that entails playing the most difficult position. There's physical wear and tear, and the mental side — calling pitches, daily meetings, film study and developing relationships and the trust of pitchers.
'He's been awesome,' said veteran pitcher Erick Fedde, who's made three starts since being traded from the St. Louis Cardinals to Atlanta two weeks ago, with Baldwin catching two. 'He's been extremely approachable, easy to talk to. He understands a lot. I would never know he's a rookie, so I think it's a credit to him that he's been great and made me feel really confident when I get on the mound, that he's educated on the hitters and what he's doing back there.'
With a home run and a double Sunday, center fielder Michael Harris II is tied for the NL lead with 14 extra-base hits in 17 games since July 25 and ranks second in slugging (.783) and third in average (.391) in that span.
Harris was statistically the worst-hitting lineup regular in the majors for much of the season, batting .205 with a .310 slugging percentage and .539 OPS in 90 games through July 10.
But since adjusting his stance by raising the starting position of his hands from chest-high to around ear level, Harris has been one of baseball's most-improved players, batting .359 with eight doubles, three triples and six homers in his past 26 games.
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He's back to the hand positioning he used during his amateur and minor-league career. Harris said he dropped his hands after struggling initially upon being called up to the majors in May 2022.
He had so much success after the initial switch in his rookie season, batting .297 with an .853 OPS in 114 games in 2022, that he stayed with it even as his stats slipped in subsequent seasons — to .293/.808 in 2023, then .264/.722 in 2024, and to his career-worst first half this season.
Now that he's made the switch back, Harris feels comfortable and has no intention of dropping his hands again.
(Photo of Hurston Waldrep: Brett Davis / Getty Images)
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