Former Gators Baseball Pitcher Named as Winter Meetings Trade Piece

A key arm on the 2023 College World Series runner-up Gators team could be a trade piece this winter

A Gators baseball alumni could be on the move / Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Yet another Florida Gators baseball alumni could be on the move in the early months of the MLB offseason. 

Bleacher Report’s Joel Reuter put out his list of the top MLB 10 prospects who could be at the center of Winter Meetings trades, listing No. 3 Atlanta Braves prospect and former Gator Hurston Waldrep ninth on the list. 

“The Atlanta Braves have not been shy about trading away young, MLB-ready starting pitching in recent years,” Reuter wrote.  

Reuter chose Waldrep because he could be the odd man out. 

“Spencer Schwellenbach has emerged as a homegrown rotation piece, and the team will likely be hesitant to deal 2024 first-round pick Cam Caminiti or AJ Smith-Shawver who has rocketed through the minors,” Reuter wrote. 

Waldrep pitched for the Gators in 2023 after two seasons at Southern Miss. In 19 starts, he went 10-3 with a 4.16 ERA while holdings hitters to a .228 batting average. 

He was a key starter in the march to the College World Series. His most notable start game was against South Carolina in the Gainesville Super Regional. Waldrep pitched eight shutout innings en route to a Gators 4-0 win that sent them to Omaha. 

Waldrep was drafted by the Braves in the first round (24th overall) of the 2023 MLB Draft. He made his Major League debut on June 9, 2024, almost one year after his stellar Super Regionals start to the date. He made two starts, giving up 13 earned runs across seven total innings. 

However, his Triple-A stats are far more promising of what he could develop into. In eight starts, he had a 3.38 ERA in 40 innings pitched. 

Scouts like Waldreps' fastball and splitter, grading them both as a 65 on the 20 to 80 scale. At a 65 rating, these pitches are considered ‘plus’ stuff, which is better than above average. Ideally, if he can get his command in order, which is currently rated as below average, he could become an effective starter in the Majors

Two other Gators alumni have been on the move recently. Starting pitcher Brady Singer was traded by the Kansas City Royals to the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for infielder Jonathan India. Two Gators swapped for one another.