GDT 8/20/25 - Braves vs White Sox - Getting More Waldrep Data

cajunrevenge said:
I know I said theres nothing Waldrep can do to lock himself in for a rotation spot going into next year but I was wrong. I am no expert on pitching mechanics and cant explain it but I really like his throwing motion. It looks like it puts him in a good position to command his pitches in and around the strike zone. You all know how hype I am about Schwellenbach but I think its a legitimate question to ask, is Waldrep better than Schwellenbach? I remember drafting Waldrep. The dream with him was that he would refine his command a little. No one thought he would ever be a SP walking less than 3 per 9 IP.
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No, not at all. I like Waldrep, but Schwelly has multiple above-average pitches with top-tier velocity and movement. He's a legitimate ace.
 
Glavine made the comment last night that him having such a high leg kick locks him up a lot more than a lower one to drive straight toward the plate.

With a higher leg kick a hip tilt or hip opening sometimes end up leading the lower half to drive and it causes misfires.
 
Well I am not afraid to go out on a limb but due to past issues let me reiterate that my claim was Waldrep vs Schwelly is a legitimate question I am not saying Waldrep is going to be better than SS. Whats really left for me is to see what Waldreps homer rate looks like. I know it wont be zero. Both have bad 4 seamers with a sinker and cutter. I think Waldreps fastball trio could be better than Schwellenbach's trio. Possibly leading to a lower homer rate. So Waldrep might k less and walk more but less homers could more than make up for that. SS main flaw holding him back is the homer rate. If he fixes that then no Waldrep isnt close. Few would be.
 
msstate7 said:
9.5 back. Mets face gore tomorrow, so maybe it's 9 when they come to town.
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There is zero shot we are making the playoffs. We still need to finish at least 27-8 just have a prayer with 85 wins. Add to that we would need the Reds/Mets going roughly .500 or worse over their last 35 games. Also, the Mets and Reds still play each other, which complicates things a bit. You can't make up much ground on both teams.

In our last 11 games we are 9-2. We would literally have to keep the same pace over the next 35 games to get to 28-7 and 86 wins. And we have to do that while facing the Mets, Phillies, Cubs, Astros, Mariners, and Detroit. And don't forget the Marlins who have the 6th best record in baseball since June 13th.
 
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msstate7 said:
Nah, let em pitch. Need to see if he's gonna be able to lock down a spot. Sale and SS#2 are the only guys we can for sure count on right now. Hopefully strider will start to show a glimmer of hope down the stretch, and hopefully Waldrep continues to pitch well. Right now though, there's 3 spots up for grabs
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I think he was suggesting to keep his rookie status in place so he could win ROY next year and net another pick.

I would assume if he were to keep his prospect status, a few pubs would promote him to the top 100.. But they might skip over him because of age and promotion status already.


reason #49 why I hate that rule.
 
UNCBlue012 said:
No, not at all. I like Waldrep, but Schwelly has multiple above-average pitches with top-tier velocity and movement. He's a legitimate ace.
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Yeah the hype pendulum on Waldrep is now swinging in the opposite direction. Literally everything Waldrep does well Schwelly does better.

Waldrep’s control over the 3 new pitches (a crazy thing to type out) have him on the path to being an impact pitcher. Schwelly is so good at everything he’s on the path to contending for CY awards.
 
Carp said:
There is zero shot we are making the playoffs. We still need to finish at least 27-8 just have a prayer with 85 wins. Add to that we would need the Reds/Mets going roughly .500 or worse over their last 35 games. Also, the Mets and Reds still play each other, which complicates things a bit. You can't make up much ground on both teams.

In our last 11 games we are 9-2. We would literally have to keep the same pace over the next 35 games to get to 28-7 and 86 wins. And we have to do that while facing the Mets, Phillies, Cubs, Astros, Mariners, and Detroit. And don't forget the Marlins who have the 6th best record in baseball since June 13th.
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The Braves have 10 games versus the gNats and Pirates (both have mailed it in) So just go 10-0 against them and then 17-8 versus the good teams doesn't seem as impossible. Just sayin..
 
In a world where we’ve seen guys like Medlen, Ian Anderson and Elder have short term success, I find it hilarious folks are so willing to jump the gun saying “I told you so” about Waldrep. In all those cases I showed why long term success was unlikely for those pitchers based solely on the movement profiles of their pitches, and in all cases I was correct.

Waldrep’s arsenal does not put him in the class of guys like Fried, Strider and Schwelly. He falls more in the group of Wright and Touki, which is definitely above the Elder and Anderson group. So when I’m right again I’ll be sure to return the “I told you so”.
 
Enscheff said:
And who has strider as the worst pitcher in an injury depleted rotation made up of Waldrep and a bunch of AAAA castoffs?
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We've kind of seen this before with Strider when coming back from injury.

When he's busting 100 with his fastball he's elite. Drop him down to 97-98 he's average at best. It's such a fine line with him.

Hopefully next year he will have regained his strength and velocity, but he'll also be another year older.

His best hope may be to replace Iglesias at the back of the bullpen where he can go max effort in short stints rather than trying to manage effort levels through 100 pitches every five days.
 
Deester11 said:
Sequence. Lmao.
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Strider just explained why his slider is no longer effective without the fastball being elite. He’s literally talking about the importance of sequencing, and describing how an elite pitch (his old fastball) makes another lesser pitch (his slider) more effective.

But yeah, I’m sure you watching minor league games during your golden years means you know more about the importance of sequencing on pitch effectiveness than the smartest pitching mind currently in the Braves organization.
 
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DirkPiggler said:
We've kind of seen this before with Strider when coming back from injury.

When he's busting 100 with his fastball he's elite. Drop him down to 97-98 he's average at best. It's such a fine line with him.

Hopefully next year he will have regained his strength and velocity, but he'll also be another year older.

His best hope may be to replace Iglesias at the back of the bullpen where he can go max effort in short stints rather than trying to manage effort levels through 100 pitches every five days.
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I think Strider will be fine. But I have also thought about using him in the pen again too. With him Reynaldo and Holmes all having significant experience in the pen we should have atleast 2 of the 3 starting the year in the pen. We will need them in the rotation eventually.
 
Enscheff said:
In a world where we’ve seen guys like Medlen, Ian Anderson and Elder have short term success, I find it hilarious folks are so willing to jump the gun saying “I told you so” about Waldrep. In all those cases I showed why long term success was unlikely for those pitchers based solely on the movement profiles of their pitches, and in all cases I was correct.

Waldrep’s arsenal does not put him in the class of guys like Fried, Strider and Schwelly. He falls more in the group of Wright and Touki, which is definitely above the Elder and Anderson group. So when I’m right again I’ll be sure to return the “I told you so”.
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Medlen?
 
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