Former Clemson pitcher gets paid
By: Staff Report October 10, 2022

A former Clemson baseball player is cashing in at the professional level.

The Atlanta Braves on Monday announced a new contract for right-hander Spencer Strider, who pitched for Clemson from 2018-20. Strider’s new deal is a six-year contract worth $75 million that will run through the 2028 season. It includes a $22-million club option for the 2029 season.

Strider has been a revelation in his rookie season for the Braves, going 11-5 with a 2.67 earned run average in 20 regular-season starts. He’s racked up 202 strikeouts in 131 2/3 innings, becoming the first pitcher in Major League Baseball history to strike out more than 200 batters while allowing fewer than 100 hits in the same season.

His 13.8 strikeouts per nine innings are an MLB record for a rookie pitcher. Strider and the rest of the National League East champion Braves will start postseason play Tuesday against the division rival Philadelphia Phillies in the NL Division Series.

Strider was an ACC all-freshman selection at Clemson during the 2018 season. He tallied 89 strikeouts in 63 innings over 26 appearances in two active seasons for the Tigers before being taken by the Braves in the fourth round of the 2020 MLB Draft.

Photo courtesy of Dale Zanine/USA TODAY Sports