Waldrep has thrown enough FAs, FSs, and SLs to rank them against other pitchers. His command/execution has been pretty awful, so let's see if the stuff is good enough to even worry about waiting for him to "learn how to pitch".
FA: 95.8 mph (115 of 562), 4.0" Arm-side (493 of 592), 13.8" Vertical (421 of 592)
This movement profile is disappointing. He comes over the top, as evidenced by the very small amount of arm-side run (similar to Ian Anderson), but the low spin rate of 2161 (443 of 592) doesn't give the FA much rise. I'm not sure why the Braves allow a guy with such low spin to throw a FA as his only fastball, but we've seen it a lot lately where guys very clearly should be focusing on a 2 seamer....but they aren't. This is not a good pitch on it's own, and will rely on location and playing off the split to be effective. We are already starting to see why Waldrep has a low margin for error when relying on a FA that simply doesn't move like an MLB FA.
FS: 85.9 mph (59 of 90), 8.1" Arm-side (69 of 90), 2.2" Vertical (28 of 90, lower is better)
While this pitch doesn't seem to have an impressive movement profile, it has a remarkably low spin rate of only 690 (3 of 90). The only pitches with less spin currently in the sport are Waldron's knuckleball at 250, and 2 other splitters at 520 and 668. Is that good? Who knows, but it does produce 2" more of arm-side run than the other comparable splitters. This is a very unique pitch, and learning how to use it as a weapon rather than a novelty will be the key to his success.
SL: 87.0 mph (118 of 469), 1.7" Glove-side (401 of 469), 1.5" Vertical (215 of 469, lower is better)
This is not a very good pitch, and like everything else, the spin rate is low at 2196 (395 of 469). It drops a little, but doesn't move across the plate much at all...which is the whole point of a slider. That's literally while they are called sliders.
Overall: The data shows us a guy with low spin FA and SL, and a no spin splitter that doesn't seem to translate into notable movement. I'm not sure what the Braves were scouting when they popped him in the first round, but it certainly wasn't the usual pitch metrics most teams seem to be looking for with amateur arms. He has good velocity, but he can't spin the ball to create much movement. It's hard to suggest a sinker since it will look very similar to the split, and his breaking ball doesn't move enough in the opposite direction to be an obvious pitch off the split either. Unless he figures out how to weaponize that no spin split, it's hard to see a path forward unless the command/execution becomes elite.
This arsenal is disappointing, and I hope he figures something out.
FA: 95.8 mph (115 of 562), 4.0" Arm-side (493 of 592), 13.8" Vertical (421 of 592)
This movement profile is disappointing. He comes over the top, as evidenced by the very small amount of arm-side run (similar to Ian Anderson), but the low spin rate of 2161 (443 of 592) doesn't give the FA much rise. I'm not sure why the Braves allow a guy with such low spin to throw a FA as his only fastball, but we've seen it a lot lately where guys very clearly should be focusing on a 2 seamer....but they aren't. This is not a good pitch on it's own, and will rely on location and playing off the split to be effective. We are already starting to see why Waldrep has a low margin for error when relying on a FA that simply doesn't move like an MLB FA.
FS: 85.9 mph (59 of 90), 8.1" Arm-side (69 of 90), 2.2" Vertical (28 of 90, lower is better)
While this pitch doesn't seem to have an impressive movement profile, it has a remarkably low spin rate of only 690 (3 of 90). The only pitches with less spin currently in the sport are Waldron's knuckleball at 250, and 2 other splitters at 520 and 668. Is that good? Who knows, but it does produce 2" more of arm-side run than the other comparable splitters. This is a very unique pitch, and learning how to use it as a weapon rather than a novelty will be the key to his success.
SL: 87.0 mph (118 of 469), 1.7" Glove-side (401 of 469), 1.5" Vertical (215 of 469, lower is better)
This is not a very good pitch, and like everything else, the spin rate is low at 2196 (395 of 469). It drops a little, but doesn't move across the plate much at all...which is the whole point of a slider. That's literally while they are called sliders.
Overall: The data shows us a guy with low spin FA and SL, and a no spin splitter that doesn't seem to translate into notable movement. I'm not sure what the Braves were scouting when they popped him in the first round, but it certainly wasn't the usual pitch metrics most teams seem to be looking for with amateur arms. He has good velocity, but he can't spin the ball to create much movement. It's hard to suggest a sinker since it will look very similar to the split, and his breaking ball doesn't move enough in the opposite direction to be an obvious pitch off the split either. Unless he figures out how to weaponize that no spin split, it's hard to see a path forward unless the command/execution becomes elite.
This arsenal is disappointing, and I hope he figures something out.
