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Spencer Strider continues to make big strides for the Atlanta Braves. The star righty had a stellar rookie season in 2022, and yet he's been better this year. Strider, a serious candidate for the Cy Young award, was asked about the improvements he made this year. The ace pitcher noted three particular changes that fueled his jump this year, per The Athletic.
“I’d say if anything, there’s skills that I have improved at, that I wasn’t able to do last year,” Braves star said. “Some things I worked on this offseason — getting my fastball around the zone more, the changeup obviously. There’s some progress I made with my slider last year that I couldn’t find a feel for it early this year, that I’ve been thinking and focused on.”
Strider's defining pitch last season was his fastball. Saying it's a fastball feels like an understatement, though: the Braves righty consistently hit 98+ on his fastballs last season. This year, though, it's the further refinement of his slider (which was already his secondary pitch last year) and the addition of a changeup that pushed him over the top and into the upper echelon of pitchers in the league.
The Braves have mirrored Strider's t this season. With a strong hitting squad behind him, Strider is often able to work with less pressure due to the run support he gets from guys like Ronald Acuna Jr and the white-hot Ozzie Albies. Even without run support, Strider is often able to hold down no-hit or run-less innings when he's on the mound.
Atlanta is currently on top of the NL East (and on top of the NL) after a dominant first few months. Can the Braves erase the stench of the 2022 playoffs and make their way back to the World Series?
