Atlanta Braves News: Michael Harris II and Spencer Strider were the stars of the 4-0 victory of the San Francisco Giants on Friday night. Harris has mentioned that he thinks he has some of his best performances with Strider on the mound. We take a look at the numbers to see if they have recency bias or if Harris II really is better with Strider on the bump.
Spencer Strider improved his record to 14-4 with a magnificent outing against the Giants on Friday night. Strider pitched seven innings allowing just one hit and one walk while striking out 10 Giants. He lowered his ERA to 3.57 on the year. Meanwhile, Michael Harris II backed him up with a 4-5 performance, ending up a homer short of the cycle.
I remember the last time -- I told you whenever he pitches, I feel like I have a big night and he does too,” Harris said. “Dang. Now that you say that, that explains the night. He’s phenomenal. I love playing behind him. And I’m glad we’ll be teammates here for a long time.
Michael Harris and Spencer Strider finished first and second in the NL Rookie of the Year voting in 2022. Harris took home the hardware and Strider settled for second place. The two came up together last season and it seems their bond goes beyond debuting in the same season.
"He needs to relax a little or at least start giving me some of his pay every five days because something about me pitching is helping him play." 😂
Both players have already been signed to long-term extensions with Atlanta and make up a part of the promising young core the Braves have in place. But there seems to be some magic in the air when Strider pitches... Harris hits.
Is this just recency bias since Harris has been hitting everything the past couple of months or is he actually out performing his stats?
I took the time to manually look up the numbers for a couple of reasons. Number one, I know you want to know these numbers. Number two, I love you. You don't want to miss the results on the next page.
Michael Harris II Actually Better When Spencer Strider Starts? Here are the Stats
Atlanta Braves v Pittsburgh Pirates / Justin K. Aller/GettyImages
On the season, Harris is hitting .291. When Strider starts, Harris is hitting .347. His batting average is 19% better in games Strider starts.
So far this season, Harris is getting on base at a .340 clip. With Strider on the mound, it's .397. His OBP is 17% better when Strider starts.
Here's a big one. For the season, Harris is slugging .459. When the 'stache starts a game he is slugging a whopping .597! Harris' SLG is 30% higher than his season SLG when Strider starts!
What is going on!?
Harris has a solid .799 OPS on the season but it's .995 when in games Strider starts. It's just crazy.
Spencer Strider has started 21 games in which Michael Harris II has played this year. So you know, if you remove the Strider starts from the equation, then Harris' season numbers take a very significant hit. How big of a hit?
Michael Harris II games played started by Spencer Strider: 21%
Michael Harris II percent of season HRs hit in Strider starts: 27%
Michael Harris II percent of 2B hit in Strider starts: 42%
So, Strider has started in 21% of the games Michael Harris II has played. Harris has 42% of his doubles and 27% of his homers with Strider making the start.
Why is Michael Harris II better with Spencer Strider on the mound?
I think the answer is simple. Who doesn't get amped up when Spencer Strider takes the mound?
