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Braves: Spencer Strider and Michael Harris Battle for NL Rookie of the Year

By Jake Mastroianni

ATLANTA, GA - JUNE 08: Michael Harris II #23 of the Atlanta Braves hits a two-RBI triple during the fifth inning against the Oakland Athletics at Truist Park on June 8, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA - JUNE 08: Michael Harris II #23 of the Atlanta Braves hits a two-RBI triple during the fifth inning against the Oakland Athletics at Truist Park on June 8, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images) /
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The Atlanta Braves didn’t come into 2022 with many top picks to win the NL Rookie of the Year award, but they might end up having the top two candidates. 

Coming into the start of this season the Atlanta Braves had a very veteran group and not a lot of room for rookies to really break the roster.

That’s why you didn’t see a lot of love for many Braves players entering the year when looking at Rookie of the Year odds.

Those same predictors are starting to take notice of a couple of rookies in Atlanta who could just end up being the best of the bunch.

Spencer Strider started the season in the bullpen but has now taken hold of the fifth starter job.

Overall, he has a 2.45 ERA and 1.045 WHIP in 44 innings with 68 strikeouts.

The only reason there wasn’t a lot of hype for Michael Harris winning Rookie of the Year this season is because not many people, myself included, thought he would get called up in 2022.

But he did, and the Braves have benefited greatly.

The 21-year-old outfielder is slashing .328/.357/.894 with 2 home runs, 6 doubles, 1 triple, 12 runs scored, 11 RBI, and 2 stolen bases in just 18 games.

Braves Rookie of the Year Race — The Competition

Seiya Suzuki got off to a hot start for the Cubs and looked like he might run away with the award. But he’s slashing .245/.344/.432 with 4 home runs in 41 games.

The St. Louis Cardinals have a pair of rookies as well in the race.

Nolan Gorman is slashing .266/.341/.430 with 3 home runs in 24 games.

Brendan Donovan is off to a red-hot start batting .341 in 44 games, and he has 21 walks to 20 strikeouts in 44 games.

But the favorite, for now, is San Diego Padres starter MacKenzie Gore.

The former top-pitching prospect is having a big season with a 2.50 ERA and 1.19 WHIP in 50.1 innings with 60 strikeouts.

It’s still early enough in the season that a rookie could get called up and enter the race — especially if they have a big impact on the postseason picture.

But these are likely your top candidates the rest of the way.

Once Strider gets enough innings he’ll get more consideration over Gore. You could make the case that he belongs over Gore right now.

The same is true for Harris, he just needs more games under his belt before joining the leaders.

Braves Playoff Odds Rising. dark. Next

But make no mistakes, these rookies have given the Braves a huge boost and had a major impact on the success of this team. If they keep it up, one of them could be taking home some personal hardware at the end of the season.

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