Spencer Strider made an impression in 2022, his first full season in Major League Baseball: he was runner-up for National League Rookie of the Year. In 2023 he was ever better, leading the majors in wins and strikeouts and earning a spot on the All-MLB first-team.<\/p>\n
But what set him apart from many of his peers wasn\u2019t his athletic ability but his life away from baseball. In a sport that is often socially conservative, the Atlanta Braves<\/a> pitcher was a vegan Bernie Sanders supporter who was just as likely to discuss indie music as his fastball.<\/p>\n Strider, who has been troubled by injuries in recent seasons and is set for another lengthy spell away from baseball<\/a> in 2026, credits coach Tommy Pharr<\/a> of the Christian Academy of Knoxville, his high school, as the original source for much of his mindset. He calls Pharr \u201cprobably the most influential person for me\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201c[The lessons he taught me] led me \u2026 to never be satisfied with the depth of knowledge that I have at any given moment,\u201d he says. \u201cThat it\u2019s important to pursue what you don\u2019t know, because it may be of use to you.\u201d<\/p>\n This openness permeates Strider\u2019s attitudes toward many aspects of life \u2013 including his veganism.<\/p>\n \u201cI started [eating vegan] in 2019 when I was rehabbing from Tommy John surgery,\u201d he says. \u201cI had blood pressure that I was medicated for, [which] I always thought was a little peculiar for a 20-year-old. I had issues sleeping \u2026 and then there were also a lot of ethical and environmental concerns that I was sympathetic towards. I decided one day to try it and, within two weeks, I was off the hypertension medicine.\u201d<\/p>\n Strider is far from the only professional athlete to cite a vegan diet\u2019s health benefits<\/a>. His commitment to discussing veganism\u2019s broader ethical arguments, however, is less common.<\/p>\n \u201cI understand that people have differences of opinion but, nonetheless \u2026 I think factory farming is certainly problematic and not exactly what we\u2019re supposed to be doing to the planet,\u201d Strider says, before clarifying that veganism is just one of many ways to address such issues. \u201cI\u2019m very conscious to the idea that any improvement, while it may seem insignificant, is still worthwhile. For me, it\u2019s easier to be fully plant-based, but I think everybody can have a marginal improvement [around the ethics of the meat industry] that would, collectively, be great for the environment and the planet.\u201d<\/p>\n Championing of a vegan diet is often associated with left-leaning politics<\/a> and Strider has expressed admiration for Sanders<\/a>. Given that, by some measures<\/a>, baseball players are the most politically conservative athletes among the \u201cBig Four\u201d North American sports leagues, this too makes Strider an unusual fit for his profession. (In typically thoughtful fashion, he refuses to make such broad observations about this peers\u2019 politics, nothing that \u201cthere\u2019s a diverse group of personalities around here.\u201d)<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know that I would single anyone out,\u201d Strider says when asked if there are any other politicians he admires.<\/p>\n He was speaking before a series of baseball players refused to join in Pride celebrations<\/a>. But it is clear which side of the argument Strider, who spoke at the Braves\u2019 Pride Night<\/a> this month, is on.<\/p>\n \u201cPlenty of things are antiquated. I think about homophobia, racism, sexism, those types of structures and behavioral systems that have existed for a long time \u2013 they\u2019re eventually going to subside entirely,\u201d he says. \u201cMy position is that: to be ignorant to the reality that [homophobia and racism] are wrong is a misguided and unnecessary approach \u2026 There\u2019s no reason to pretend that they\u2019re not wrong or not harmful.\u201d<\/p>\n While Strider\u2019s observations on politics and culture are refreshing, such interests do not occupy all his time off the field. Instead, talking with Strider feels a bit like catching up with an old friend \u2013 the conservation jumps from the serious to the lighthearted with ease.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m a big music fan. I like playing music, listening to vinyl, listening to music,\u201d says Strider, who has played guitar since he was a teenager. With a laugh, he refuses to share the name of his high school band.<\/p>\n In his own words, his tastes are \u201cmiddle of the road\u201d. Strider mentions his fondness for millennial indie darlings such as Vampire Weekend, the Strokes and Mac DeMarco before namechecking the slightly more obscure acts that reveal his preference for riffy basslines and quasi-psychedelic sounds. He cites Patrick Taylor of Trash Panda<\/a> as both a favorite musician and someone who his connections through the Braves have allowed him to get to know personally.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s just an unbelievable musician and awesome creative mind. He\u2019s somebody I\u2019ve really enjoyed getting to be around [and] a really cool relationship for me,\u201d Strider says. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of acceptance and freedom that the [the music] industry could share with the rest of the country and the world.\u201d<\/p>\n Despite his interests outside baseball, Strider isn\u2019t one of those athletes who views his profession as just a paycheck<\/a>. In addition to music and climate change, he discusses the nuances of his craft with enthusiasm. He thinks recent changes to MLB (pitch clocks<\/a> and the automated ball-strike system<\/a>, etc.) haven\u2019t gone far enough in improving the game.<\/p>\n \u201cI think teams should be able to construct rosters however a team deems necessary for their own strategy,\u201d Strider says. \u201cRight now, it\u2019s limited to 13 pitchers and 13 position players [active on each MLB<\/a> roster]. If the Atlanta Braves want to have 15 pitchers on their roster, they should be able to \u2026 Even if it\u2019s [just] for a series or a week. I think that could lead to more diverse strategies and would be good for the game.\u201d<\/p>\n