The Atlanta Braves found gold in starting pitcher Spencer Strider.
Last season he was called up to begin his MLB career, and he took the league by storm.
Strider finished second in NL Rookie of the Year, and he showed dominant strikeout stuff.
This season Strider has been nothing short of spectacular.
He has thrown 46.2 innings with a 2.51 ERA and an MLB-leading 79 strikeouts.
According to StatMuse, Strider has a 15.2 K/9 this season.
That leads the league and would be the first time a starting pitcher had a K/9 over 15.
Highest K/9 by starters this season:
15.2 — Spencer Strider
13.4 — Jacob deGrom
12.9 — Shohei OhtaniNo SP has ever recorded a 15+ K/9 over a full season. Can Strider do it? pic.twitter.com/rLuf9UctNo
— StatMuse (@statmuse) May 13, 2023
The only other starters on this list are Jacob deGrom and Shohei Ohtani.
Both have been dominant starters, but neither can strike people out at the rate Strider has.
Atlanta has done a great job of developing star players.
They have a team full of youth, and players that are under contract for a long time.
The Braves are going to be dangerous for many years to come.
Strider seems poised to at least win one Cy Young award during his career.
Atlanta has been the second-best team in baseball this season, and the best in the NL.
They have a record of 25-13 and lead the NL East by 6.0 games.
Injuries woes have caused the Braves to derail their seasons in years past.
Strider is the early favorite to win the NL Cy Young.
Ronald Acuna Jr. is also the early favorite to win NL MVP.
With a young roster led by those two stars, the future is bright in Atlanta.
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