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2023 Player Outlook

Strider came up and, just like his fastball, was a heat-seeking missile on the mound. He set an MLB record for the fewest innings pitched to reach 200 strikeouts ever. He then signed a patented Braves contract in the offseason locking him up through his arbitration years. It was a spectacular year after he flew through the minors with a three-level rise in 2021. Given that he had a 2.67 ERA (1.83 FIP, 2.39 xERA) and an astonishing 13.81 K/9, what should we expect in 2023? Strider is mainly a two-pitch pitcher with an 80-grade fastball that averages 98.2 mph anchoring the arsenal and an above-average slider being the second pitch. He’ll mix in a changeup sporadically too. While the fastball is elite and gives him wiggle room for It to not be at its best, we should see some regression as we typically do with two-pitch pitchers. Strider should still have an ERA in the 3.50-3.70 range and a ton of strikeouts, but with a rate closer to 12 K/9 rather than the nearly 14 K/9 from last year.