The Braves need Spencer Strider to bounce back.
Spencer Strider technically made his MLB debut in 2021, but the Atlanta Braves pitcher's rookie season came in 2022. That year, he pitched to a 2.67 ERA en route to finishing second in National League Rookie of the Year voting. Strider would follow up his strong rookie campaign by earning his first All-Star selection and finishing fourth in NL Cy Young voting in 2023.
An injury limited Strider to only two games pitched in 2024, but he was able to return in 2025 and ended up making 23 starts. However, Strider looked like a different pitcher. He was not as confident on the mound, seemingly implementing a different approach. The result? Strider turned in an ugly 4.45 ERA in his 125.1 innings pitched.
Sure, coming off injury surely played a role in his underperformance. There’s another element of the situation worth addressing, though.
Spencer Strider needs to be Spencer Strider
It was clear that Strider was a strikeout pitcher in 2022 and 2023. His 202 strikeout mark as a rookie was impressive, while his league-leading 281 strikeouts during the ‘23 campaign was a dominant mark.
In 2025, Strider recorded 131 strikeouts. He pitched in fewer innings, but the underlying statistics suggest that the strikeout alluded the right-handed hurler last season. Strider’s 24.3 strikeout percentage was a career-low. Meanwhile, he turned in a 42.6 percent hard-hit rate -- also the highest mark of his career.
Is it possible that Strider was hoping to work deeper into games by taking less of a strikeout approach? Strikeouts, while impressive, cause more overall pitches to be thrown -- leading to less innings pitched. Many pitchers who are big strikeout guys sometimes struggle to work deep into games. While it is possible Strider simply struggled in 2025, there is a chance that he was trying to find a way to pitch into the late innings on a more consistent basis.
However, Spencer Strider simply needs to be Spencer Strider. He may walk some batters and lose command of the strike zone on occasion, but Strider is almost unhittable when he’s on top of his game. The Braves star needs to remember who he is and trust in his strikeout prowess on the mound.
If Strider can bounce back, he will probably become an NL Cy Young candidate once again. He is unquestionably one of the best pitchers in the entire league when he’s going right.