Braves prospect Hurston Waldrep ‘fired up’ for first big-league camp

“It’s hard not to be fired up for something like this.”

First big-league camp for highly toued Braves pitching prospect Hurston Waldrep is underway.

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Yeah you know it’s uh it’s awesome being this organization obviously on everything that’s um all the hype that’s been around us past couple years and you know really for a while now and um a lot of history um so really just happy to be here happy to be around these guys and

Uh just you know ready to learn and take it all in since you got drafted uh has have things gone the way you thought they would go you end up moving in the top 100 bra invite you here obviously I think you you’re ready for it I mean I

Don’t think you can expect anything to go anyway in the game of baseball so it’s one of those things where you know you put your head down and you play and you know you take you take your opportunities for sure um but you know just take your opportunities and play

Where you’re supposed to and do what you’re supposed to and you know it’ll all play out me have you connected with any of the big league guys about just advice for your first Camp I mean a little bit yeah just you know needing everybody you know seeing how everybody

Does their thing and um you know got here a little bit early see how everybody goes about their business you just following the schedules pretty much do you come in here trying to uh just make a good impression do you think you come in here competing for a spot

How are you looking at I mean yeah everybody wants to make a good impression but really just being myself um being comfortable where I am and comfortable in who I am you know trusting my abilities and doing what I have to do do you look at it as that

Fifth spot’s open I mean that you you’re in it’s it’s baseball you know you can’t ever guarantee anything and you can’t ever say anything out of you know Out Of Reach so it’s just doing what you got to do a year ago at this time we weren’t talking about daughter Shuster and they

Obviously made a strong impression do I give you some hope that at least you know the organization’s willing to look if you do make that impression I mean yeah absolutely you see this organization they they like moving guys fast and obviously last year everything moved really really fast and so you know

Seeing what they’ve done in the past with other guys and um you know realizing that there’s always a chance for any spot anywhere you got here last year at this time you were preparing to face whoever the opening weekend what if somebody would have told you at that

Time you know exactly a year from now you’re going to be a BRAC what would you have said um you know I’m a I’m a high achiever and so for me it was uh I’m like okay well you know let’s go and that’s that’s always kind of my mentality with everything especially

Baseball is um you know never be surprised by anything always take it as a challenge and always learn from every step what did you learn over that two months in your first s in professional baseball uh definitely learned a lot a lot about baseball a lot about the game

Game of baseball how how everybody plays um seeing so many different teams so many different players it was really cool it was a really great experience um and honestly I would say you know baseball IQ and you know just being able to see all those all those players and

Face all those guys and get a taste of professional baseball is really pretty cool so many teams don’t use their high draft pick especially pitchers in those months after a draft were it sounds like to you it was very beneficial are you pleased that they did give you the

Innings that they did yeah absolutely I didn’t I didn’t really go into it um knowing exactly if I was going to play or if I was going to stay here um at the facility and just you know throw bullpens prepare for this year but um was very very happy I was able to

Experience that and experience the levels that I did and um you know it was a there’s a lot to learn you said you got here early so what time did you get here in that kind of ease and nerves excitement a little bit for you when you

Walked in uh yeah well I got here about uh about a week ago um so being able to get comfortable in here and be comfortable in the locker room and be comfortable in the room and um you know just prepare for these next two months

If you if you had them what kind of conversation you had with schneid about coming in Spring train in that role I mean just like I said earlier doing what I have to do facing hitters getting ready for bullpens um getting ready for lives getting ready for games it’s it’s really

All building up to it’s just building up to play baseball that was a long year for you with college and end up pitching in the miners were you in the World Series and all that were you U exhausted at the end were did you take longer than

Usual in the offseason or were you just fired up for this I mean there obviously a lot of baseball but I mean it’s hard not to be fired up for something like this and take it all in and enjoy it so that’s really all I did just you know

Enjoy every step and take all in you talk to smokes and you know just about the splitter or anything or how excited all you to have a chance to talk to I mean I’d love to talk to him obviously um he’s a he’s a brav legend so haven’t

Haven’t really talked to anyone about the Splitter Splitter is pretty new um still for me even um it’s only about year and a half old so still figuring it out day by day what was it like for your family to know that that you got the call I mean they were pretty excited

Obviously playing for the Braves and being from Georgia um growing up a Braves fan so uh that was pretty cool so you know make big Camp the first year talking about some of those lives any uh particular guy you looking forward to uh getting in some live BP with I mean all

Of them 1 through nine one this whole this whole locker room is pretty uh it’s pretty fun about so I know you just got here but did you have kind of like an aha moment when you got to Camp like okay I’m I’m in big leagues now with

These guys I mean yeah a few of them it’s it’s I I said it’s hard not to a whole loot rooms you know lot of lot of really good guys a lot of really good talent um so to be around it and um it’s pretty cool