Spencer Strider on the mindset the Braves need to adopt for 2024
In 2023, Spencer Strider completed his first full season in the major leagues and made yet another noteworthy advancement. Rising to the top of the Atlanta Braves rotation, he threw a career-high 186 2⁄3 innings and broke John Smoltz’s record for strikeouts in a season. But it’s been hard to get Strider to concentrate on his own successes, particularly after his team performed terribly. Speaking on Saturday at BravesFest, Strider talked about how he prepared for the season and what changes he wants to see in both himself and his teammates to have success in the postseason once more.
It is the best, indeed. When asked how nice it is to see everyone again, Strider responded, “It makes it feel like the offseason never happened and then it’s been three years at the same time.” “I’ve been exercising here. A few men have. Although it’s been pleasant to sort of stick to the schedule, it’s still wonderful to see everyone.
It was unpredicted going into the Division Series against the Philadelphia Phillies last season that Atlanta would struggle offensively as much as they did. Strider pitched well in both Game 1 and Game 4, giving up just four earned runs in 12 2⁄3 innings while striking out fifteen batters. With just one run in support, he suffered 3-0 and 3-1 losses.
That’s all I’ve been considering. That’s the discussion that our team has had,” Strider remarked. “Throughout the offseason, whether in groups or one-on-one settings, the focus is always on ‘How do we position ourselves to have a better outcome in the postseason?'” I’m not suggesting that we’ve mastered the regular season, mind you. You never know what will occur. However, in order to put ourselves in the best possible position for the postseason, we must maximize everything that occurs during the regular season. Like you mentioned, I believe that the previous year was a significant learning experience for me and everyone else.
Declaring such things is one thing, but putting them into practice is quite another. According to Strider, the Braves must raise the standard to the highest level and any outcome short of a World Series victory should be considered a letdown.
Speaking about specific concepts he and his teammates have discussed, Strider said, “Absolutely, I think rhetoric is one, especially when we clinched so early in September.” “I believe that simply altering our language, our objectives, and what we say aloud will make a big difference. That will be crucial for us. Anything less than a World Series victory, in my opinion, should not be accepted in this organization. I mentioned it briefly earlier. I think so. Despite my bias, this is
“It’s evident that there’s a lot of activity and noise during the postseason that’s not necessary for players to perform well on the field,” Strider continued. We had some experience with that last year, and it was instructive. The upside of failing is that it at least provides a chance for improvement. We just have the chance; nothing is guaranteed to happen this year. However, as I previously stated, we have everything we need to accomplish our goals.
During the offseason, Alex Anthopoulos took some significant actions. In order to strengthen the rotation, he acquired veteran left-hander Chris Sale from the Red Sox, added former top prospect Jarred Kelenic to play left field, and restocked the bullpen with powerful arms. According to Strider, he believes that all of the recent additions could have a significant effect and questions why some people still have doubts about Anthopoulos.
Strider stated of Anthopoulos, “I think that anybody that questions his rationale behind things is not paying great attention at this point and I have full trust in everything he does.” “I leaped for joy when I noticed Chris Sale appear on my phone and that we had acquired him.” To put it mildly, I looked up to that guy a lot when I was younger. Our brief exchanges of messages and our meeting this past weekend have only served to confirm my preconceptions about him. What matters most to me is that guy wants to win more than he wants to do anything else, at the very least.
Strider clarifies it. Despite the possibility that he will still wreck havoc on the franchise record books, the ultimate objective is to win a championship. He seems to be made of the same material as Sale in that sense. According to Strider, everything is in place—all they need to do is go execute.
“I have nothing to do with that; it’s a difficult goal to pursue. Regarding the Braves’ championship spirit, Strider remarked, “I give that credit to Alex and to Snit and the coaching staff that have built that, player development, and ownership.” “I think a World Series trophy is the ultimate goal for us, and that’s the bar,” said the person who contributed to the creation of this environment.
“For us, the sky really is the limit,” Strider continued. “Everything we accomplished during the previous year’s regular season is extremely unique. Although I believe we would gladly trade some of it for a World Series, the pieces are in place to do everything possible in the limited postseason sample size. That’s going to be the objective from the first day of spring training. putting ourselves in a daily position to succeed in that domain.”
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