The odds of any minor leaguer making it to the majors are long, about 1 in 10 or 10%. I wonder what the odds of a pitcher that’s logged only 94 innings in the minors landing in the starting rotation of the World Champions is? Clemson baseball alumni Spencer Strider has a chance to do just that in 2022.
Strider rocketed through four levels of the Atlanta Braves organization in 2021, eventually finding himself pitching for the big league club on October 1st and wowing fans with a 100 mph fastball, which he’s continuing to do this spring.
Pitches 100+ MPH in Spring Training:
— GleyberMetrics (@GleyberMetrics) March 24, 2022
Jhoan Duran (6, MIN)
Spencer Strider (5, ATL)
Nick Duron (1, PHI)
Ryan Feltner (1, COL)
Jeffrey Springs (1, TB)
Mitch Keller (1, PIT) pic.twitter.com/xcvkR1xyRq
At those four stops Strider combined for 153 strikeouts in 94 innings, which equates to an incredible 14.6 strikeouts per 9 innings pitched.
Strider was a fourth round draft pick out of Clemson in 2020. You may recall there was no minor league season that year due to the pandemic, so the 94 innings Strider logged last year is the sum total of his minor league career.
Though he didn’t record any strikeouts in his two appearances for the Braves last season, Strider’s back at it this spring, regularly hitting 100 MPH.
Following up after yesterday's games were completed:
— Sam Dykstra (@SamDykstraMiLB) March 23, 2022
Spencer Strider's 100.6 mph fb is the fastest pitch measured by Statcast so far this spring. (It was above the zone, fwiw.)
He has 7 of the 11 fastest pitches of the spring, all at 99.7 mph and above. 4 strikes, 3 balls.
To say Braves fans are excited about Strider’s potential is a gigantic understatement.
Go ahead and block off your lunch hour at work, because Spencer Strider is starting a game on TV today! https://t.co/HFmC4BnuS1
— Jake Mastroianni (@ShortStopBall) March 28, 2022
On Monday, Strider pitched 2.1 innings against the Toronto Blue Jays, not allowing a hit or run, while striking out 2 and walking 2 and picked up the win, for whatever that’s worth, in Spring Training.
For the spring to date, Strider has pitched 4.1 innings, allowed 4 hits, 0 runs, with 5 strikeouts and 2 walks.
While Strider’s 2021 was one for the ages for a pitcher with a 3-7 career minor league record, what does this season hold for Strider?
According to some there’s a chance he ends up in the rotation for the defending World Champions.
"“We saw a big arm in him last year, the brief look that we got,” manager Brian Snitker said Tuesday. “I like him also. I’ve been very impressed with a lot of our young guys we’ve seen in this camp and he’s one of them.”"
Strider is currently listed as the Braves second best prospect by MLB.com.
Whether he makes the Braves rotation, sticks around for a couple of weeks as a 6th starter or begins his season in AAA, there’s no doubt Strider’s future is in the Major Leagues.