Awards season is here for Major League Baseball and the Sporting News got things started Thursday with the announcement of its awards winners for the 2022 season. Included was Atlanta Braves right-hander Spencer Strider who edged out teammate Michael Harris as the Sporting News’ Rookie of the Year for the National League.
In a survey of 212 players for the NL rookie award, Strider won a 47 percent plurality of the vote, finishing ahead of teammate Michael Harris II, who received 41 percent. Those results help illustrate why the future looks so bright in Atlanta.
Harris is the favorite to take home the BBWAA honor in November, but Strider could make things interesting. He eclipsed the 200 strikeout mark faster than any pitcher in history and finished with 202 and missed the final few weeks of the regular season with an oblique injury.
Strider didn’t just help solidify Atlanta’s rotation when he moved there in late May, he emerged as one of their best and most dominant options. He impressed enough that the Braves locked him up to a six-year, $75 million extension prior to the start of the NLDS.
