Spencer Strider has come to the Major Leagues to stay. The new pitcher who illustrates his face with a distinctive mustache and sports an imposing fastball from the mound has definitely carved out a space for himself in Major League Baseball.
His 202 strikeout-retired batters in just 131.2 innings pitched was the sixth-most for any Major League pitcher in the current 2022 season, while completely outclassing his rivals, who only hit for a .180 average against him.
In short, Strider has completely dominated the MLB offense in his first full-time year in the league, while securing a spot in the Atlanta Braves rotation with his dedication to starting pitching.
What makes Strider so preponderant, and how has he been able to achieve it?
The 23-year-old right-hander bases his repertoire on two options, as represented by his pitches as Four-Seam Fastball and Slider, in addition to having a Speed Changeup, although the latter with very little use.
Strider’s opponents have swung blanks 52.2 percent of the time against his Slider, who have only been able to connect on the fastball for a microscopic .295 slugging percentage.
The Columbus native’s fastball has been one of the fastest pitches in the entire league, exhibiting a speed of 98.2 miles per hour on average, combined with a slider with a characteristic movement towards the hitters’ knees.
His main pitches have had a wonderful combination of movement and speed, although the smallness of his arsenal casts great doubt on what could happen in the future with the Braves pitcher.
A starting pitcher with only two pitches is far from ideal for a major league model, even though Strider has proven successful; but obviously it does not prevent it from being a risk in the future.
This could create that, their opposites "they feel" to wait for his fastball, simply letting his surf go by to find a more comfortable option to attack, though that’s not something Strider has allowed.
His game plan has proven to be perfect visualizing his results, who does not have a schedule defined by the count of balls and strikes, making it much more difficult for his rivals to study it.
Strider has shown an imposing dominance in his first full-time year in the Major Leagues, which immediately makes us dream of everything that could result in his future, evidencing his portentous characteristics.
