The Atlanta Braves have a pair of NL Rookie of the Year hopefuls in Spencer Strider and Michael Harris. Both players have realistic chances of winning the award. In fact, they probably should split the award. They have both been extremely valuable in a different manner.
Strider has dominated opponents on the mound, while Harris has impressed at the plate. However, Spencer Strider may hold a slight advantage. Here are 3 reasons why Spencer Strider will win the NL Cy Young award over his Braves teammate Michael Harris.
Spencer Strider is in the Cy Young conversation
Spencer Strider will not win the NL Cy Young. But he will likely earn some votes. He needs to be in the conversation.
The young right-hander has emerged as one of the best strikeout artists in baseball. He's tallied 192 strikeouts in just 125.2 innings pitched as of this story's publication, per Baseball Reference. His ridiculous 13.8 strikeout per 9 innings pitched pops off the page. Strider also owns a sparking 2.72 ERA to go along with a 1.01 WHIP on the season.
With pitchers such as Sandy Alcantara leading the charge, Spencer Strider is probably not going to take home NL Cy Young honors. But the mere fact that he's in the conversation should propel him into winning the NL Rookie of the Year.
2022 season duration
Michael Harris has obviously been valuable to the Braves. But he's also only played in 95 games. Meanwhile, the Braves have already played 141 games this year. Harris has only been on the big league ball club for a little over half of the season. This is not Michael Harris' fault by any means.
But it does provide Spencer Strider with an advantage. Strider has been with the Braves for a longer period of time. He's pitched in 30 games which is a quality mark for a pitcher. He has been extremely valuable to the team without question throughout the season.
Spencer Strider vs. Michael Harris overall Braves value
Spencer Strider and Michael Harris have both helped to replace injured players at times. Harris stepped in and did a nice job of helping cushion the blow of Ronald Acuna Jr's injury. Acuna Jr is back but is limited to mostly a DH role, so Harris continues to help shoulder the burden of his lingering ailment.
But the Braves rotation was hit hard with injuries and underperformance. Charlie Morton and Ian Anderson, two pitchers who were expected to play important roles for the rotation, have both struggled in 2022. Meanwhile, ace Max Fried has dealt with injury concerns at times this season. Spencer Strider's elite effort has been a godsend for Brian Snitker and the Braves.
Atlanta's offense is talented enough to survive despite a few injuries. They lost Ronald Acuna Jr last year and still won the World Series. Players such as Austin Riley, Dansby Swanson, and Matt Olson have the ability to carry the load when injuries occur. This lineup likely would have continued to fare well even without Michael Harris.
That is not to say that Harris hasn't been valuable. He's one of the young and emerging stars in the game. But who knows where the Braves rotation would be without Spencer Strider. Strider has helped to lead Atlanta's pitching staff to a 6th overall ranking in team ERA and 5th overall ranking in team WHIP.
Strider is on track to win the 2022 NL Rookie of the Year award.
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