The Braves drafted Cedric De Grandpre in the 13th round of the 2022 MLB Draft. The Canadian hurler was coming from Florida JUCO power Chipola JC, and had a strong 2022 MLB Draft League performance to open some eyes.What Were Expectations?
There really weren’t expectations for Cedric’s 2025m even if there were some expectations for Cedric himself. That would be because Cedric hadn’t pitched in a game since the 2023 season, missing time with Tommy John surgery. He pitched to a 3.95 ERA and 1.26 WHIP with 88 strikeouts to 22 walks over 86.2 innings in 2023, but the first season coming back from TJ can be tricky for pitchers.2025 Results
Cedric first appeared in mid-May in the FCL and made two starts there, before being sent to Rome for his final 13 starts of the season. He had a 0.00 ERA and 1.09 WHIP with 13 strikeouts to two walks in 7.1 innings with the FCL team before he pitched to a 3.74 ERA and 1.43 WHIP in Rome, striking out 66 and walking 41 in 53 innings.
Combined between the two stops in 15 starts he went 3-4 with a 3.28 ERA, 1.39 WHIP, and 79 strikeouts to 43 walks in 60.1 innings.
Beyond just getting out there healthy, which is a win for a guy that had gone 22 months without pitching in a game, Cedric missed bats at a career best rate. Sure he was repeating a level where he made his final 12 starts in 2023, but the fact he had a 11.8 K/9 for the year, including 11.2 with Rome is better than expected. Cedric had that mark beaten in a very tiny sample size in 2022 (8.2 innings) at 12.5, but he struck out 9.1 on the season in 2023 – though that does include an 11.1 rate in 32.1 innings with Augusta before getting sent to Rome.
The biggest issue for Cedric was his command wasn’t sharp in 2025 – which is very much to be expected for a guy in his first year back from TJ. His 6.4 BB/9 included a 7.0 rate during his time with Rome. It wasn’t just the walks either, as high pitch counts helped contribute to him only going 60.1 innings over his 15 starts – or four innings per start. That was more on the command effecting pitch counts than being on a super strict pitch count, as he hit 75+ pitches in nine of his 13 starts with Rome. The good news is this is normal, and with an offseason to work on it this could quickly become a thing of the past.2026 Outlook
Cedric will turn 24 years-old in January, and is expected to begin his 2026 season with Double-A Columbus after repeating Rome last year. He is going to need to see his command look more like what we saw from him in 2023 for him to keep punching out hitters in the upper minors, but Cedric will likely have a chance to get himself on the doorstep of the big leagues in 2026 – even if he profiles more as a future reliever longterm.
