Spencer Strider Is Rounding Back Into Form

Starting to Look like His Old Self

In his last four starts, Strider’s fastball has averaged 96 mph, and his slider has ticked up to 84.5 mph. The results have started to follow suit. He’s 3–1 in that span with a 2.25 ERA, 1.46 FIP, and a 33:9 K:BB ratio. He’s looking more and more like the Strider that Braves fans have come to expect.

On the season, Strider is 3–6 through nine starts. He owns a solid 3.86 ERA, 3.56 FIP, 1.14 WHIP, and a 2.85 K/BB rate. Opponents are hitting just .207 against him with a .655 OPS and a 9.1% barrel rate.

While these numbers might not match the absurd standards he had previously set for himself, the progress is certainly undeniable.

Strider has leaned more heavily on his two primary pitches. He’s throwing the fastball 55% of the time and the slider 35.3%, while his changeup usage is down to 4.2%, just a tick below his usual average.

Moreover, Strider had started to introduce a curveball last season, but he has only thrown it 5.5% of the time so far in 2025.

When relying on just a fastball-slider mix, location and velocity are everything. At 95 mph and 83 mph, respectively, hitters have more time to identify the pitch and its location. But when those pitches creep back toward their peak velocities, Strider becomes incredibly difficult to hit, especially with his ability to tunnel both offerings from nearly identical release points (42° on the fastball, 41° on the slider).

Final Thoughts

It’s easy to spiral into doubt during a frustrating season like this. The Braves have endured just about every kind of setback you can think of over the past two seasons. With a franchise built upon success and winning, especially within the division, the standard is always set high.

But with Strider, there are plenty of reasons to feel encouraged. His velocity is climbing, the swing-and-miss stuff is returning, and most importantly, he’s starting to look like himself again on the mound.

Of course, there will still be some bumps in the road. After all, he will only be recording his 10th start back from a major surgery this week. These things take time to truly regain full strength.

Maybe it’s just the optimist in me, but every time I’ve watched Strider pitch this season, I feel more confident that the Cy Young-caliber version of him isn’t far off. We may not see his absolute best until 2026, but even this version of Strider is good enough to anchor the Braves down the stretch. That in itself is something worth getting excited about for the Braves faithful.

Stats were taken prior to play on July 1.