Despite a loss in the first-half finale Sunday at Washington, former Clemson right-hander Spencer Strider leads the odds for NL Rookie of the Year. His head coach at Clemson, Monte Lee, said it was easy to tell Strider would be special even when he was a freshman at Clemson.
Strider took the loss Sunday against the Nationals and ended the first half with a 4-3 record and a 3.03 ERA. He’s 10th in the league in strikeouts with 114 (tied with teammate Charlie Morton for that honor)
Strider was drafted in 2020 by the Atlanta Braves after showing improvement after sitting out the previous Clemson season due to arm surgery, going 0-0 with a 4.