Atlanta Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos joined Dukes & Bell and Anthopoulos talked about if the team views Spencer Strider as a bullpen arm or do they see him as a starter in the five man rotation?
When asked if Strider’s future is the Braves closer.
“We like him as a starter, last year same thing we felt we we’re light on the right side of the bullpen going into the playoffs, especially with power stuff, it was last minute but we wanted to get him as much development time as he could last year. We called him up at the end obviously, Lee came up as well a week early or so on the San Diego trip,” Anthopoulos said. “Strider we view as a starter, it’s a three pitch mix he’s started his entire career for us prior to this past year, it’s big stuff and it’s easy to say a guy who throws as hard as he does that those are the guys you normally see profiling in the back of the bullpen. That being said he’s shown the ability to make starts, he’s got the slider and the changeup, he’s a competitor, strike throwing has gotten a lot better.”
Anthopoulos talked about why Strider started the season in the pen.
“We ran with him out of the bullpen because we were going to give Kyle Wright and (Huascar) Ynoa the first crack at those rotation spots especially with what Ynoa had done during the season and what Kyle Wright did for us in the World Series. They were the starters coming out of camp, Strider was doing a nice job out of the bullpen, he was a needed piece and once our other fifth starter candidates who had experience like Davidson, Bryce Elder hadn’t but we felt like if we could find someone who could hold the five spot down, Strider in the bullpen had big value. Once we had a revolving door we felt it was time to convert him back to the rotation, and if he can stick which we’re optimistic he can, that will set up your bullpen because now hopefully you’re not having two inning starts and that impacts your bullpen for two and three days going forward.”
