Two Clemson Baseball Alum Playing Pivotal Roles on Atlanta Braves

Of the handful currently active Clemson Tigers in Major League Baseball, two of them wound up being teammates on the Atlanta Braves. Spencer Strider and Eli White didn't overlap at Clemson. By the time Strider arrived to campus, White was in the minor leagues for a couple years. However, their career paths still managed to cross about two hours south in Atlanta.

Given that a lot of Clemson fans are likely part of Braves Country too, there can be a sense of pride knowing former Tigers are part of the action on their MLB team.

Strider has become a key starter in the Braves' starting rotation. He recently returned from recovering from a UCL injury that cost him virtually the entire 2024 season and the first few weeks of 2025. After struggling in his first five starts (0-5, 5.40 ERA, 1.32 WHIP), Strider has been nails in his last two starts.

He struck out 13 Colorado Rockies batters across six shutout innings last Saturday, then gave the Braves six innings of one-run ball on Thursday.

Strider has represented the Tigers well in his time in the Majors. He became the third Clemson player to become an MLB All-Star and was the first to get the nod since Jimmy Key got his fifth in 1997.

White bounced around between the Majors in the Minors the first few seasons of his career, but finally found regular playing time in 2025. The 30-year-old is batting .245 with a .669 OPS and 85 OPS+ over 164 plate appearances this season. He was originally added to the roster to serve as a pinch runner, but earned his way into the platoon role in the outfield.

A notable moment from this season came against the St. Louis Cardinals on April 23. He hit a go-ahead three-run shot to lift the Braves to a 4-1 win.