Hurston
Waldrep

Durable-bodied at 6-foot-2, 210 pounds the power right-hander works fast and attacks with four legitimate pitches. Relying on his fastball 44% of the time (45 of 102) against Tennessee, he used his three secondaries nearly equally; curve (18%), slider (16%) and splitter (23%). His fastball averaged 95-96 mph, topping at 97 while also averaging 2314 rpm and 17.3” of induced vertical break (IVB) which measures “hop” or “ride”. The best of his off speed pitches was his splitter that grades out to better than plus when at its best. It’s an 86-88 mph low-spin (700-800 rpm) offering that dives late at the plate and induces consistent swing/miss. Typically, his 83-84 mph curve is his next best secondary but was not on this look. He missed the zone on 12 of 18 attempts with this pitch, and produced just one swing/miss. At its best it’s yet another plus pitch in his arsenal. He had more success with his 87-88 mph slider, drawing six whiffs from the 16 that he threw. It was an above average pitch on this look. Overall, Waldrep has a starter’s arsenal, but he could be classified as having a reliever’s delivery in the eyes of some evaluators. There is effort to his m.o. and he locates with more control than truly commanding the zone. With the pluses clearly outweighing the minuses, he’s still a bit of a wild card as to where he will be selected on draft day, but will most likely be picked between number 15 and 25 overall.

USA CNT: Lowder’s operation is smoother, but Waldrep has more explosive raw stuff, and he improved his pitchability in a dramatic way during a breakout sophomore campaign at Southern Miss this spring (6-2, 3.20 with 140 strikeouts against 33 walks in 90 innings). He worked three innings of one-hit ball in the Stars vs. Stripes series, working around three walks, but he allowed three runs on four hits in 2.1 innings in his lone appearance in Haarlem. With serious spine tilt and a long arm swing to a straight over-the-top release, the 6-foot-2, 200-pound Waldrep has some violence to his delivery, but his fastball explodes on hitters at 93-96 mph, and he touched higher velocities in the spring. The pitch also has solid spin rates in the 2200-2300s. Waldrep works fast and attacks with four legitimate pitches, including an 85-87 mph slider and a downer curveball at 80-83 that both project as average or better offerings on the pro scale. In our summer look, he threw one 12-to-6 hammer at 82 mph for a called third strike, looking like a plus pitch. He also showed some feel for a mid-80s changeup. It’s a starter’s arsenal, but it could be a reliever’s delivery in the eyes of some evaluators. But if he continues to perform at a high level in an SEC rotation as a transfer at Florida next spring, he could firmly establish himself as a starter prospect with obvious Day One potential.

Made his second start of the season on Sunday and was quite impressive once again. The Thomasville, Georgia native worked his fastball in the 94-96 mph range while reaching up to 98 mph on occasion. He loves throwing his slider (86-90 mph), and should, as the very sharp, late cutting action has been tough on hitters from both sides of the plate so far. Waldrep, in his two starts, has done a great job of locating the slider slightly off the plate away versus righties and working at the back knee of lefties for tons of swings and misses resulting in 18 strikeouts through 10 1/3 innings. (Miller)

Southern Miss recruit. 6-foot-3, 200 pounds; strong, durable build. Exciting arm that used two-pitch-mix in start. Battled baserunners early on, but settled in second time through the lineup. Repeatable delivery, works downhill, quick arm with lots of life. FB sat 87-91, topping out at 92. FB had some tail and downward angle from the OT slot. Used arm-side portion of strike zone, primarily with FB. CB showed some power action, at times, especially in put-away counts; 77-79. Secondary pitch had 12/6 action and worked low in the zone, when sharp.