February 15, 2026

Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Spencer Strider is looking to regain his 2023 form during the 2026 season after an early injury ended his 2024 season and caused a late start in 2025. Strider led MLB in 2023 with 20 wins and 281 strikeouts, and entered the 2024 season as a consensus top 20 pick in most formats. Strider finished the 2025 season with a 4.45 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, and 131 strikeouts in 125 1/3 innings pitched (23 starts). Under the hood, it was not any better, evident by his 4.93 xERA, 4.15 SIERA, and 4.24 xFIP. The dropoff during the 2025 season was significant, as he saw his average fastball velocity dip from 97.2 mph in 2023 (92nd percentile) to 95.5 mph in 2025 (69th percentile), and his strikeout rate fell from 36.8 percent in 2023 to 24.3 percent in 2025. His fastball was simply not good; hitters were all over it, batting .294 and slugging .472, compared to his .256 batting average allowed on the fastball in 2023. Additionally, his changeup was not any better, as hitters hit .333 against it in 2025. The one bright side of his 2025 season was that he escaped further injuries and has had a full off-season to refine his game. That being said, it is uncertain whether or not he will regain his 2023 form, and it shows in most rankings, as RotoBaller ranks him as the 25th overall pitcher and NFBC ADP ranks him 105.0. Fantasy managers will want to be cautious when drafting Strider, as he is a high-risk, high-reward option in all league formats.--Nicho Roessler
Source: RotoBaller