Spencer Strider is already overcoming a huge problem in spring training
Spencer Strider didn’t have such a good 2025 season like he and the Atlanta Braves he would hope so, as he has hit a few snags as he works his way back from a long layoff caused by a UCL injury. Although Strider did not undergo Tommy John surgery for the second time in his life, he still struggled quite a bit on the mound as he struggled through his worst MLB season in 2025, posting a paltry 0.9 fVAR in 23 starts (125.1 innings).
Strider’s stuff in 2025 wasn’t as good compared to his first few years in the majors, as his strikeout rate dropped to just 24.3 percent. For comparison, in 2022 and 2023, that number was 38.3 and 36.8 percent, respectively. His 2025 walk rate (9.5 percent) was also up but where it was in 2022 and 2023.
Suffice it to say, it’s clear where Strider needs to improve heading into the 2026 season. But in spring training, it looks like he’s the Braves starter he is already taking steps in that department.
“The goal is to try to be in the zone. Everything is coming out of my hand the right way. The slider was really good, the curveball was good. I got a strikeout with a curveball. Lay one down for a strike,” Strider said, per Ken Sugiura of the AJC. “The handovers were good. That was really the goal of the day — try to narrow it down, kind of set the bar in the zone.”
Spencer Strider, Braves aim for comeback campaign in 2026
The 2026 season got out of hand for the Braves, as they finished fourth in the NL East with a 76-86 record. That ended a seven-game streak in the postseason, and it was a concern for Atlanta that either they couldn’t recover or their key players were bad, like Strider.
Regardless, Strider is only 27 years old, and the raw talent he possesses was evident from day one. And like Strider continues to suffer injury problems further into the distant past, he may have recaptured his groove as a Cy Young Award-caliber pitcher.
2026-03-01 04:37:00
