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Spencer Robert Strider (born October 28, 1998) is an American
professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...
pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...
for the
Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. The Braves ...
of
Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
(MLB). He played
college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional pl ...
for the
Clemson Tigers The Clemson Tigers are the athletic teams that represent Clemson University, located in Clemson, South Carolina. They compete as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level (Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) ...
, and was drafted by the
Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. The Braves ...
in the fourth round of the
2020 Major League Baseball Draft The 2020 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft took place on June 10 and 11, 2020. The draft assigned amateur baseball players to Major League Baseball (MLB) teams. The draft order was set based on the reverse order of the 2019 MLB season ...
. He made his MLB debut in 2021.


Amateur career

Strider attended the
Christian Academy of Knoxville Christian Academy of Knoxville (CAK) is a private, non-denominational Christian school located in Knoxville, Tennessee. Athletics The Warriors compete in TSSAA class A-AA athletics, and class 3A football. Athletic programs include football, bas ...
in
Knoxville, Tennessee Knoxville is a city in and the county seat of Knox County, Tennessee, Knox County in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 United States census, Knoxville's population was 190,740, making it the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Di ...
. He was drafted by the
Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive F ...
in the 35th round of the
2017 Major League Baseball draft The 2017 Major League Baseball (MLB) First-Year Player Draft began on June 12, 2017. The draft assigned amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The first 36 picks, including the first round and compensatory picks, were broadcast on MLB Network on J ...
, but did not sign and played
college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional pl ...
at
Clemson University Clemson University () is a public land-grant research university in Clemson, South Carolina. Founded in 1889, Clemson is the second-largest university in the student population in South Carolina. For the fall 2019 semester, the university enro ...
for the
Clemson Tigers The Clemson Tigers are the athletic teams that represent Clemson University, located in Clemson, South Carolina. They compete as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level (Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) ...
. In 2018, he played
collegiate summer baseball Collegiate summer baseball leagues are amateur baseball leagues in the United States and Canada featuring players who have attended at least one year of college and have at least one year of athletic eligibility remaining. Generally, they operat ...
with the
Falmouth Commodores The Falmouth Commodores are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Falmouth, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in the league's West Division. The Commodores play their home games at Arnie All ...
of the
Cape Cod Baseball League The Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL or Cape League) is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league located on Cape Cod in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. One of the nation's premier collegiate summer leagues, the league boasts over one thousan ...
. Strider missed the 2019 season after suffering a torn UCL which required
Tommy John surgery Ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction, colloquially known as Tommy John surgery (TJS), is a surgical graft procedure where the ulnar collateral ligament in the medial elbow is replaced with either a tendon from elsewhere in the patient's bo ...
. He returned from the injury in 2020 and was drafted by the
Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. The Braves ...
in the fourth round of the
2020 Major League Baseball Draft The 2020 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft took place on June 10 and 11, 2020. The draft assigned amateur baseball players to Major League Baseball (MLB) teams. The draft order was set based on the reverse order of the 2019 MLB season ...
and signed.


Professional career

Strider split his professional debut of 2021 between the
Augusta GreenJackets The Augusta GreenJackets are a Minor League Baseball team of the Carolina League and the Single-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. They play their home games at SRP Park in North Augusta, South Carolina, which opened in April 2018. They previous ...
, the
Rome Braves The Rome Braves are a Minor League Baseball team of the South Atlantic League and the High-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. They are located in Rome, Georgia, and play their home games at AdventHealth Stadium. From 2003 to 2020, the team served ...
, the
Mississippi Braves The Mississippi Braves, or M-Braves as they are referred to locally, are a Minor League Baseball team based in Pearl, Mississippi, a suburb of Jackson. The team is the Double-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves and plays in the Southern League. T ...
, and the
Gwinnett Stripers The Gwinnett Stripers are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. They play their home games at Coolray Field in unincorporated Gwinnett County, Georgia (with a Lawrencevil ...
. Between the four stops he posted a 3–7 record with a 2.64 ERA and 153 strikeouts over 94 innings. On October 1, 2021, Strider was selected to the Atlanta active roster. He made his major league debut that night, pitching one inning of relief against the
New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...
. Strider earned his first career win on the final day of the season, again facing the Mets in relief. The Braves finished with an 88–73 record, clinching the NL East, and eventually won the 2021 World Series, giving the Braves their first title since 1995. Strider began the 2022 season on the Braves'
Opening Day Opening Day is the day on which professional baseball leagues begin their regular season. For Major League Baseball (MLB) and most of the American minor leagues, this day typically falls during the first week of April, although in recent years ...
roster. He began the season in the bullpen and was moved to the starting rotation from May 30 onwards. Strider was named National League Rookie of the Month for July. On September 1, he broke the Braves' record for most strikeouts in a nine-inning game, fanning 16
Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The team plays its home baseball games at Coors Fie ...
batters in eight shutout innings. On September 18, Strider became the fastest pitcher in either the
American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league ...
or
National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...
to throw 200 strikeouts in a single season, reaching the milestone in 130 innings pitched. He was also the first rookie in the franchise's modern-era history to strike out 200 batters in a single season. The feat had been accomplished by
Bill Stemmyer William Stemmyer (May 6, 1865 – May 3, 1945) was a Major League Baseball pitcher for the Boston Beaneaters and Cleveland Blues (AA), Cleveland Blues. He was nicknamed "Cannon Ball". In 1886 – his first and only full season in the majors â ...
and
Kid Nichols Charles Augustus "Kid" Nichols (September 14, 1869 – April 11, 1953) was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher who played for the Boston Beaneaters, St. Louis Cardinals and Philadelphia Phillies from 1890 to 1906. A switch hitter w ...
in 1886 and 1890, respectively, while the franchise was known as the
Boston Beaneaters Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- most po ...
. Strider made his final appearance of the 2022 regular season on September 18, and was placed on the 15-day injured list due to an oblique injury on September 24. On October 10, 2022, the Braves and Strider agreed to a 6-year, $75M extension through the 2029 season. For the 2022 regular season, he was 11–5 with a 2.67 ERA, in 31 games (20 starts). Strider recovered from his injury for the 2022 postseason and was placed on the
National League Division Series In Major League Baseball, the National League Division Series (NLDS) determines which two teams from the National League will advance to the National League Championship Series. The Division Series consists of two best-of-five series, featuring e ...
roster, being named the starter in Game 3 versus the
Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...
. Strider struggled, pitching just 2.1 innings and earning the loss in a 9–1 defeat; the Phillies would eliminate the Braves in four games. At the end of the season, Strider finished second in the
National League Rookie of the Year Award In Major League Baseball, the Rookie of the Year Award is given annually to two outstanding rookie players, one each for the American League (AL) and National League (NL), as voted on by the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA). The aw ...
balloting to teammate
Michael Harris II Michael Machion Harris II (born March 7, 2001) is an American professional baseball outfielder for the Atlanta Braves of Major League Baseball (MLB). He was drafted by the Braves in the third round of the 2019 MLB draft, and made his MLB debut wi ...
.


Pitching style

During the 2018 college baseball season, Strider's repertoire included a
two-seam fastball A two-seam fastball is a pitch in baseball and softball. It is a variant of the straight fastball. The pitch has the speed of a fastball and can also include late-breaking action caused by varying the pressure of the index and middle fingers on t ...
, a
slurve The slurve is a baseball pitch in which the pitcher throws a curve ball as if it were a slider.
-like pitch, and a
changeup A changeup is a type of pitch in baseball and fastpitch softball. The changeup is a staple off-speed pitch often used in a pitcher's arsenal, usually thrown to look like a fastball but arriving much more slowly to the plate. Its reduced speed ...
he did not use often. After recovering from Tommy John surgery, Strider began throwing a
four-seam fastball A four-seam fastball, also called a rising fastball, a four-seamer, or a cross-seam fastball, is a pitch in baseball. It is a member of the fastball family of pitches and is usually the hardest (i.e., fastest) ball thrown by a pitcher. It is ca ...
, and became more willing to pitch in the upper region of the
strike zone In baseball, the strike zone is the volume of space through which a pitch must pass in order to be called a strike even if the batter does not swing. The strike zone is defined as the volume of space above home plate and between the batter's kn ...
.


Personal life

Strider has followed a
vegan Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal product—particularly in diet—and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals. An individual who follows the diet or philosophy is known as a vegan. Di ...
diet since 2019, crediting it in part for helping with his high blood pressure. Before tournaments, Strider's high school teammates grew facial hair and dyed their hair blond as a bonding exercise. He maintained a mustache during his collegiate baseball career at Clemson, where he became known as "The Mustache Man." In high school, Strider wore uniform number 28. Because that number was assigned to Clemson teammate
Seth Beer Seth Michael Beer (born September 18, 1996) is an American professional baseball outfielder and first baseman for the Arizona Diamondbacks of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played college baseball for the Clemson Tigers. Beer made his MLB debut ...
, Strider wore 29 while playing for the Tigers. As the Braves had retired 29 for pitcher
John Smoltz John Andrew Smoltz (born May 15, 1967), nicknamed "Smoltzie" and "Marmaduke", is an American former baseball pitcher who played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball from 1988 to 2009, all but the last year with the Atlanta Braves. An eight-time A ...
, and 28 was assigned to
Matt Olson Matthew Kent Olson (born March 29, 1994) is an American professional baseball first baseman for the Atlanta Braves of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Oakland Athletics. Olson was drafted by the Athletics i ...
, Strider wore 65 during his rookie season, then subsequently chose 99 to commemorate Rick Vaughn, a character in the 1989 film '' Major League''. Before the 2023 season began Strider married Maggie, whom he had first met in high school.


References


External links


Clemson Tigers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Strider, Spencer 1998 births Living people Atlanta Braves players Augusta GreenJackets players Baseball players from Columbus, Ohio Clemson Tigers baseball players Falmouth Commodores players Gwinnett Stripers players Major League Baseball pitchers Mississippi Braves players Rome Braves players