The Braves may be prepping for their NLDS matchup against the Phillies that begins tomorrow at Truist Park, but the elite general managers never stop looking toward the future, and I think it’s safe to say Alex Anthopoulos is up there with the best of the best in all of sports.
Today, the team announced NL Rookie of the Year candidate Spencer Strider has signed a six-year extension with the club.
#Braves Sign RHP Spencer Strider: pic.twitter.com/GkCLX1uSEF
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) October 10, 2022
https://twitter.com/Braves/status/1579462608905973762
Assuming the Braves pick up his option in 2029, Strider will be with the Braves for at least seven more seasons as he becomes the latest piece of Atlanta’s young core to forego arbitration and sign an extension with the team.
At this point, there’s nothing you can really do but sit back and admire what the Braves are accomplishing. Not only are they the reigning World Series attempting to go back-to-back, but seemingly every talented young player that walks through the clubhouse doors is willing to sign an extension almost immediately. From top to bottom, this organization is crushing it as they aim to become the first team to win back-to-back World Series since the Yankees won three in a row from 1998-2000. With all the young talent they have locked up at affordable rates through the end of the decade, the Braves are one of the first real threats to build a legitimate dynasty since those Yankees teams led by Derek Jeter.
Strider has been nothing short of spectacular in his first full season in the majors. He began the season in the bullpen, but things started to shift for the Braves once they moved him to the rotation. Spencer Strider broke Randy Johnson‘s record for the fastest player ever to record 200 strikeouts, and he’s arguably been the best pitcher in all of baseball since the transition. Had he not begun the year in the bullpen, I believe we’d be talking about him as the NL Cy Young as a rookie.
Over 131.2 innings, Strider has 202 strikeouts (13.8 K/9), a 2.67 ERA, 1.83 FIP, and 0.995 WHIP. Outside of Jacob deGrom, I’m not sure there’s a pitcher on the planet with a better fastball/slider combination. And to think, there’s a chance those two are teammates next season.
This is another incredible move by the Braves, but now the question is whether or not Spencer Strider will be on the NLDS roster. He’s been dealing with an oblique injury, and while the team remains optimistic, there has been no confirmation either way regarding his status for the playoffs.
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Photo: John Adams/Icon Sportswire
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