How the Stephen Strasburg signing is good for Atlanta Braves
By Seth Carter
The Power of Positivity and the Power of Freddie Freeman
Strasburg might be midway through a march to the Hall of Fame. He has a career ERA of 3.17, 112 wins, a 1.09 WHIP, and 1,695 K’s in 1,438.2 innings pitched. His postseason ERA is 1.46 with a 0.94 WHIP in 55.1 innings pitched.
He may get overshadowed by being in the same rotation as Max Scherzer, but this guy is a legit Ace.
How is this a good thing for the Braves?
Again, the net impact is not terribly positive for Atlanta, but here’s a silver lining: Atlanta Braves’ players have hit pretty well against him.
To the rest of the league, facing Strasburg may be a frightening prospect. All 6’5″ launching off of the mound in a red-frizzy streak, the ball rushing out of the whirlwind and passed the flailing bat of the opponent, landing right into the catcher’s mitt for another K.
Well, the Braves aren’t scared. To the Braves he’s just a pretty good pitcher. Take a look at some of the current Braves’ career stats against Strasburg and compare to how the rest of the Major Leagues hit against him.
Freddie Freeman has the most at-bats against Strasburg of any of the Bravos. In 59 at-bats, Freeman has slashed .339/.406/.644 against the $245 million arm. Freeman also has 4 HRs and 19 RBI.
Ronald Acuna Jr. only has 14 at-bats against him, but he’s off to a great start. Acuna is slashing .429/.500/.714.
Nick Markakis has 45 at-bats against Strasburg with a .289 average and only five strikeouts.
Ozzie Albies is slugging a whopping .529 in 17 at-bats.
In Comparison:
In 2019, the league slashed .210/.271./349 against Strasburg. In 254 at-bats, current Braves players are slugging .465 against Strasburg as a group, with a .264 average. Braves players have much better numbers against the 6-foot-5 Ace.
Last season Strasburg had an ERA of 4.07 against the Braves, giving up 11 earned runs in 24.1 innings. He also walked 11 batters over that same time.