When Spencer Strider was slow to return to form after recovering from Tommy John surgery, the Atlanta Braves were understandably concerned. Strider was widely considered to be a perennial Cy Young candidate and one of the game's best power pitchers before he got hurt. Upon his return, Strider's trademark velocity was down, and his fastball simply didn't look right. While it was reasonable to give Strider the benefit of the doubt, given that he had just returned, fans were anxious to see the "real Strider" again in 2026.
So far, the results of that patience have been decidedly mixed. The good news is that Strider isn't limited in any way down at camp and seems quite pleased with his fastball's shape. However, his velocity hasn't quite returned to pre-injury levels and has sat in the 93-94 mph range so far. For some, this has been cause for alarm.
It is certainly true that right now, Strider is not throwing as hard as he was before his surgery. However, at this point of spring training, that does not mean there is something "wrong" with him, and fans need to exercise some patience while also keeping an eye on him.
Spencer Strider's velocity numbers may not be what they seem down at Braves spring training
It is important to remember that we are still in the very early stages of spring training. Strider has been open about knowing he needed to make some changes after the 2025 season, and new pitching coach Jeremy Hefner had some big ideas for fixes that could unlock Strider again. Implementing changes to one's delivery takes time, and that includes trusting the changes enough to use them at full effort.
In Strider's case, he is clearly focused on giving his fastball a specific shape rather than having a specific velocity. While he is certainly annoyed at the focus on his velo, Strider is doing the right thing in trying to dial in his command and hit his spots with pitches he feels good about. As he gets more and more comfortable and in shape, the more likely it is that his velocity will take care of itself.
At least, that is the hope. There is a very real chance that Strider won't ever be the upper 90's monster that he once was. After all, that was his second major elbow surgery as a baseball player, and that is always going to take a toll. If Strider is still throwing 93 and getting beat up by hitters a month from now, a certain amount of panic may be warranted given the state of the Braves' rotation. However, folks need to chill out for now and let Strider go through the entire process of being stretched out and implementing changes before drawing too many conclusions.