Atlanta Braves assign top draft pick Hurston Waldrep to Augusta

The Braves today assigned some of their 2023 draft choices to full season ball, headlined by first round pick Hurston Waldrep.

This morning the Atlanta Braves sent the first group of players from their 2023 MLB Draft class to full season ball, including their first round pick Hurston Waldrep. While some of these players had started in the last couple weeks down in the Florida Complex League, this will mark the professional debut of Waldrep as well as some of the others.

Waldrep, sixth round pick Lucas Braun, and eighth rounder Cory Wall are all set to make their pro debuts in the coming days with this promotion to Low-A Augusta. Fellow draft choices Jace Grady, Kade Kern, and Cam Magee, as well as undrafted free agents Drew Compton and Jacob Godman had already made their debuts in the FCL.

This infusion of talent to the Augusta roster comes with a number of corresponding moves to the roster, as OF Bryson Worrell and C Andrew Keck will be heading to High-A Rome. Infielder Francisco Floyd was sent back to the FCL, OF Jeremy Celedonio to the Development List, and infielder Eliezel Stevens was released as the team cleared five spots in the process.

It goes without saying that Waldrep is the big name of the group and that his first outing will receive plenty of attention considering his draft position, but some of these other players are also intriguing names to watch. Grady had done nothing but hit in college, and started off very well in the FCL. Kern is a player with a loud toolset that the Braves will try to refine. Compton was a local slugger for Georgia Tech prior to signing with the Braves after being undrafted, and he was one of the more intriguing names among the undrafted free agent signings this year.

Then there is Braun, an overslot sixth rounder who reminds some of Shane Bieber and Tanner Bibee in terms of the scouting profile – the Bieber and Bibee out of college, before Cleveland was able to really unlock their full potential.