Drafted by Cleveland in the 35th round in 2020: did not sign...Drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the fourth round of the 2020 MLB June Amateur Draft...On Atlanta’s injured list (left oblique strain), from Sept. 21 to Oct. 6, 2022...Signed by the Atlanta Braves to a six-year Major League contract through the 2028 season, with a club option for 2029, on Oct. 10, 2022...In three seasons with Clemson, went 5-2 with a 4.71 ERA (33 ER/63.0 IP) in 26 appearances, 10 starts...Struck out 89, an average of 12.7 per 9.0 innings...He missed the entire 2019 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery that February...He returned in 2020 and made a team-most four starts, allowing six runs in 12.0 innings (4.50 ERA) with 19 strikeouts...In his first season with the Tigers, 2018, was a Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-American, striking out 70 in 51.0 innings...Was a three-time ACC Academic Honor Roll member...Majored in political science...Before joining Clemson, attended the Christian Academy of Knoxville...He was Tennessee's Gatorade Player of the Year and Mr. Baseball as a senior, 2017.
2023
Awards 2023 National League All-Star and 2023 All-MLB First Team (SP)...MLB Ranks: Wins (1st, 20), Win% (1st, .800), Strikeouts (1st, 281), SO/9.0 IP (1st, 13.55), FIP (2nd, 2.71)...NL Ranks: Wins (1st, 20), Win% (1st, .800), Strikeouts ( 1st, 281), SO/9.0 IP (1st, 13.55), FIP (1st, 2.71), WHIP (4th, 1.09)...Pitched his second full Major League season and went 20-5 with a 3.86 ERA (80 ER/186.2 IP)...Was named to his first career All-Star Game and led the majors in wins and strikeouts...Strider set a new Atlanta franchise record for most strikeouts in a single season with 281...The previous mark of 276, was set by Hall of Famer John Smoltz, during his Cy Young Award-winning season in 1996... Smoltz ('96) is the only other Atlanta-era (since 1966) to lead the majors in strikeouts...His 186.2 innings pitched were the fewest by any pitcher to lead the majors in strikeouts, over a full season, in MLB history...Hall-of-Famer Randy Johnson paced the majors with 204 punch-outs in 172.0 innings in the strike-shortened season in 1994, while Cleveland's Shane Bieber did the same, fanning 122 over 77.1 frames in the truncated 2020 campaign (COVID-19)...Strider had 11double-digit strikeout efforts this past season; only Hall of Famer John Smoltz (12) has more in a single season in franchise history...Strider's 433 strikeouts as a starter are the most in baseball history through a player's first 50 starts...Dwight Gooden ranks second with 418...His 17 games with at least 10 strikeouts are the second most in MLB history (1901) through a player's first 50 starts; trails only Dwight Gooden (20)...Strider joined Cy Young Award-winner Dwight Gooden as the only pitchers in the modern era to reach 300 strikeouts in their first 35 career starts...Earned his 20th win of the season on September 30; becoming the second Brave in as many seasons to record at least 20 victories, alongside Kyle Wright (21 in 2022)...Became the first Braves pitcher to lead the NL outright in wins since Wright ('22)...Strider had three more wins on the season than any other pitcher in baseball...Arizona's Zac Gallen finished second with 17...He is just the eighth Braves pitcher to win 20 games in a season since the club moved to Atlanta in 1966, and the first since Wright in '22...Russ Ortiz ('03), Tom Glavine ('91, '92, '93, '98, '00), Phil Niekro ('69, 74, 79), John Smoltz ('96), Ortiz ('03), Greg Maddux ('93) and Denny Neagle ('97) all reached the mark for the franchise...Became the youngest Braves pitcher with at least 20 wins, within a single season, since Tony Cloninger, who also did so in his age-24 season in 1965 with Milwaukee...Atlanta went 26-6 in Strider's starts this past season...lt was the most team wins in a start by one pitcher in 2023...The 26 wins by the Braves during Strider's starts were tied for the third most in Atlanta-franchise history in a single season...Atlanta won 28 games in 1993 with Steve Avery on the mound...Hall of Famers Tom Glavine (27, '93) and John Smoltz (26, '96) rank second and tied-for-third respectively...Strider went 12-2 with a 3.36 ERA in 16 starts away from Truist Park in 2023...Strider's 12 wins away from Truist Park are tied for the third most in Braves franchise history in a single season and were the most since Tom Glavine also won 12 games on the road in 1998...Joined Hall of Famers Glavine, Greg Maddux and Phil Niekro as the only Atlanta-era pitchers with as many road victories in a year...Strider's 12 wins away from home this past season were easily most in the majors...No other pitcher reached the double-digit mark in 2023...Strider's 433 strikeouts as a starter are the most in baseball history through a player's first 50 starts...Dwight Gooden ranks second with 418...His 17 games with at least 10 strikeouts are the second most in MLB history (1901) through a player's first 50 starts; trails only Dwight Gooden (20)...Strider joined Dwight Gooden as the only pitchers in the modern era to reach 300 strikeouts in their first 35 career starts...On Aug. 18 Strider recorded his fourth career game with at least 10 strikeouts while holding the opponents to one hit or less; the most such games by a pitcher before turning 25 since the mound was set at its current distance (credit ESPN Stats)...Strider struck out Shohei Ohtani (LAA) for his 200th strikeout of the season...Broke his own record - becoming the fastest pitcher, by innings pitched (123.1) to reach the 200-strikeout plateau within a single season since the mound moved to its current distance in 1893...Last year, he recorded 200 strikeouts in 130.0 innings...Prior to last season, Hall of Famer LHP Randy Johnson held the record, reaching 200 strikeouts in 130.2 innings in 2001...Strider is the fifth pitcher since 1893 to collect at least 200 strikeouts in his first two full Major League seasons, joining: Cleveland's Herb Score (1955-56). New York's (NL) Dwight Gooden (1984-85). Los Angeles·(NL) Hideo Nomo (1995-96) and Texas· Yu Darvish (2012-13)...He's the fourth Braves pitcher, over the same span, with multiple 200-strikeout seasons, alongside teammate Charlie Morton (2021-22) and Hall of Famers John Smoltz, (5 times, 1992-93, '96-97, '06) and Phil Niekro, (three times, 1977-79)...Strider's 354 strikeouts through his first 40 career starts are the most by any pitcher since the mound was set to it's current distance in 1893, credit ESPN Stats...Struck out Nick Castellanos in the fourth inning on May 28 to become the fastest starting pitcher, by innings pitched (61.0). to reach 100 strikeouts in a season, since the mound was moved to its current distance in 1893...Strider bested his own franchise record, set last season in 64.2 innings. (Research courtesy of Elias)
POSTSEASON: Started Games 1 and 4 of the NLDS against Philadelphia, going 0-2 with a 2.84 ERA (4 ER, 12.2 IP) and 15 strikeouts between both games.
2022
Pitched his first full Major League season and went 11-5 with a 2.67 ERA (39 ER/131.2 IP) and 202 strikeouts...Led rookie pitchers in the majors with 4.9 fWAR and 3.7 bWAR, and finished second in NL Rookie of the Year voting to teammate Michael Harris II...He is the quickest pitcher in baseball history to ever reach 200 strikeouts in a single season, doing so in his 130.0th inning...Hall-of-Famer LHP Randy Johnson held the previous record, reaching 200 strikeouts in 130.2 innings in 2001...Became the third rookie in franchise history to strike out 200 in a season, and the first in the modern era...The other rookies to reach 200 strikeouts were RHP Kid Nichols, who struck out 222 in 1890, and Bill Stemmyer, who fanned 239 in 1886. ..Just 16 rookies have done so in history, with Yu Darvish being the last to do so (221 strikeouts in 2012)...His 13.8 strikeouts per 9.0 innings is the highest by a rookie pitcher in MLB history (min. 12 starts)...Chicago’s Kerry Wood held the previous mark with 12.6 K/9.0 IP...No pitcher in Braves franchise history has pitched at least 100 innings in a season and fanned even 11.0 batters per 9.0 innings...In fact, just two pitchers, Brandon Beachy with 10.7 in 2011 and Charlie Morton with 10.5 in 2021, have been above 10.0...Opened the season pitching out of the bullpen, and moved into the rotation on May 30 at Arizona...Made 11 appearances out of the bullpen and went 1-1 with a 2.22 ERA (6 ER/24.1 IP)...In 20 starts, went 10-4 with a 2.77 ERA (33 ER/107.1 IP)...Prior to his move into the rotation, Atlanta was 23-25 and its starters had pitched to a 4.38 ERA... From the date of Strider’s first start, May 30, to the end of the season, the Braves went 78-36 and the starters pitched to a 3.46 ERA...Ranked 11th in the majors with 202 strikeouts... However, did so in just 131.2 innings...Each of the 10 pitchers with more threw at least 166.0 innings on the season...Among pitchers to throw at least 100.0 innings on the season, Strider’s 13.81 K/9.0 IP were easily most in the Majors, over 1.5 strikeouts more than the closest pitcher...Blake Snell fanned 12.02 batters per 9.0 innings to rank second...Fanned 202 and allowed just 86 hits on the season...Is the only pitcher in baseball history to record at least 200 strikeouts and allow fewer than 100 hits in a year...Together with teammate Charlie Morton, Became the first pair of Braves teammates to reach 200 strikeouts in a season since 1886, when Old Hoss Radbourn (218) and Bill Stemmyer (239) both reached the mark...Radbourn tossed 509.1 innings that year, while Stemmyer totaled 348.2 innings...Was named NL Rookie of the Month for July after going 2-1 with a 2.70 ERA (8 ER/26.2 IP) over five starts in the month...Five of the eight runs came in one start, July 17 at Washington...In his other four turns, he went 2-0 and pitched to a 1.19 ERA (3 ER/22.2 IP) with 37 strikeouts...Strider and Harris II teamed to win each of the final four Rookie of the Month awards for the National League... The Braves’ 12.4 total fWAR from their rookie class was the most in baseball...Started on Sept. 1 vs. Colorado and pitched a career-most 8.0 innings, holding the Rockies to just two hits and no runs in the effort...The Braves beat the Rockies, 3-0, to give Strider his ninth win of the season...Set the single-game, Atlanta-era record with 16 strikeouts in the game, which also ranks second in all-time franchise history…John Smoltz previously held the Atlanta-era record, punching out 15 on two occasions: May 24, 1992, at Montreal and April 10, 2005 versus the New York Mets…Warren Spahn holds the all-time Braves record with 18 punchouts on June 14, 1952 versus the Chicago Cubs...Strider’s 16 strikeouts are the most in a single game by a Braves rookie in franchise history...He became the fourth different rookie in the modern era to strike out at least 16 batters in a game without issuing a walk...Dwight Gooden had exactly 16 K’s in two consecutive starts in 1984 (9/12 vs. PIT, 9/17 @ PHI)...Kerry Wood struck out 20 against Houston on May 6, 1998, and Jon Gray fanned 16 Padres on Sept. 17, 2016...Research courtesy Elias...On July 7 vs. St. Louis, struck out a then career-most 12 batters...Recorded his first nine outs via strikeout...Since at least 1961, Strider is the only Braves pitcher with nine strikeouts through the first three innings of a game… Only two other pitchers have done it since the start of the 2020 season: Pablo López (MIA; July 11, 2021) and Aaron Nola (PHI; June 25, 2021)…He became the only pitcher in Braves history to have three games of at least 10 strikeouts within his first eight starts… League-wide, the last pitcher with at least three double-digit strikeout performances in his first eight career starts was Masahiro Tanaka, who did it for New York (AL) in 2014...Research via the Elias Sports Bureau...He allowed one hit and fanned 11 in his previous start at Cincinnati, and became the first rookie in MLB’s modern era (since 1900) with 11+ strikeouts and two-or-fewer hits in consecutive starts...Earned his 10th win of the season in his start, Sept. 7 at Oakland, and earned his 11th on Sept. 18 in his final turn of the season...Was the first Atlanta rookie to win 10 games in a season since Julio Teheran went 14-8 in 2013...Was one of just two rookie pitchers in baseball with 10 wins, and the only one in the National League...Minnesota’s Joe Ryan went 13-8 with a 3.55 ERA. 2022 Postseason....Started Game 3 of the NLDS at Philadelphia, and allowed three hits and five runs over 2.1 innings to take the loss…Walked two and fanned four...The start was his first since Sept. 18, as he missed the final 16 games of the season with a left oblique strain.
2021
Made his Major League debut Oct. 1, 2021, allowed two hits and a solo home run...Pitched 1.1 scoreless innings in relief Oct. 3...Appeared for Low-A Augusta, High-A Rome, Double-A Mississippi and Triple-A Gwinnett, going a combined 3-7 with a 3.64 ERA (38 ER/94.0 IP), and 153 strikeouts over 21 starts...His 94 strikeouts ranked seventh in the Double-A South and he held opponents to a .211 batting average.
2020
In his first professional season, was added to Atlanta's 60-man player pool on August 17....Spent the rest of the season at the club's alternate training site
