Atlanta Braves ace Spencer Strider is already one of the best pitchers in MLB.
He didn’t have the lowest ERA in 2023, at 3.86, but no one misses bats quite like him among starters.
He punched out 281 hitters last year, in 186.2 innings.
The ace throws a fastball which is his bread and butter, and his slider is his best secondary offering.
He also throws a changeup, but only about seven percent of the time.
Between his sometimes spotty command and the fact he throws mainly two pitches, he can be prone to home runs, or at least was in 2023.
He has seemingly been working hard to add a fourth offering to keep hitters honest: a curveball.
It’s looking good.
“Nice looking new curveball from Spencer Strider, looks like he can command it well too. 3-2 count,” writer and researcher Eno Sarris tweeted.
Nice looking new curveball from Spencer Strider, looks like he can command it well too. 3-2 count. pic.twitter.com/AjJOOFgCKp
— Eno Sarris (@enosarris) February 29, 2024
It’s not your average 12-6 curveball, though: it also has significant glove-side break.
It looked like a fastball outside but its two-plane break brought it back to the zone, which earned him a strikeout looking.
This could definitely become another part of his regular arsenal as long as he has confidence in the pitch.
He had it on Thursday, in a spring training game.
However, it remains to be seen if he will be willing to use it in any count and in any situation when the games that count start.
In any case, it’s always nice to see an elite performer work even harder on his craft, which is what happened here.
Strider, if healthy, could be primed for a career year in 2024.
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