Baseball is full of cool stuff and situations, not to mention cool people.
Atlanta Braves star pitcher Spencer Strider, who took the league by storm last year and finished runner-up in the National League Rookie of the Year vote, has an interesting choice as his new number.
He is picking number 99.
Why?
Because he relates to Ricky Vaughn, the famous “Wild Thing” in baseball movie “Major League.”
Incredible 👏 pic.twitter.com/a4Gwf5Pb1R
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) January 21, 2023
First, we must say that it’s always cool when we learn about athletes and baseball players enjoying the famous video game MLB The Show, especially when they pick themselves.
We are not really sure why Strider relates to Vaughn, but he sure has his reasons.
Sure, both have an elite fastball – Strider averaged 98.1 mph with the pitch in 2022 and it has the so-called “rising effect” that generates lots of empty swings – but the Braves’ young pitcher does not have a control problem.
He walked 45 batters in 131.2 innings, good for 3.08 per nine innings: that’s not elite, but not bad at all and certainly not a problem.
His strikeout ability, on the other hand, is really impressive.
He fanned 202 hitters over those 131.2 frames, good for 13.81 per nine.
That’s elite for a starting pitcher, top of the league in fact.
The young right-hander was a pleasant surprise in the Braves rotation last year and even earned himself a contract extension.
He will be leading their staff for a long, long time.
It’s just fitting that he is a baseball movie fan and he related to Charlie Sheen’s famous movie character.
