This story was excerpted from Mark Bowman's Braves Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
The same dedication that enabled Spencer Strider to become one of baseball’s best pitchers has also helped him to become one of the game’s top philanthropists.
Strider’s determination to help many Atlanta-area youth groups led the Braves to make him their 2025 Roberto Clemente Award nominee. This award is annually given to the Major Leaguer who best represents the game of baseball through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy and positive contributions both on and off the field.
“It's a tremendous honor,” Strider said. “I certainly wouldn't be receiving that recognition if it weren't for my wife [Maggie], who, I think, of anybody I know, loves their neighbor selflessly more so than anyone I've ever met.”
Fans can vote for the Roberto Clemente Award presented by Capital One via MLBTogether.com/clementeaward (in both English and Spanish). Voting concludes Sunday. The winner of the fan vote will count as one vote among those cast by the blue-ribbon panel.
Strider and his wife created Foster Family Fridays, a community program in partnership with the Atlanta Braves Foundation and Georgia Kids Belong that treats local foster care families to VIP gameday experiences.
Every Friday home game, the Striders treat a foster family to pregame batting practice and a special meet-and-greet. Along with a bag filled with Braves items and autographed baseballs from Strider, the family receives game tickets that include a monetary value that can be used at Truist Park’s concession stands and clubhouse stores.
“[Foster care] is something I think that doesn't get the recognition that it needs, the attention that it needs,” Strider said. “It can be a highly political issue in some ways, but at the very core of it, it's just a matter of caring for your immediate community. I'm somebody -- and my wife is as well -- who believes community is necessary to raise children.”
The Striders have aligned themselves with Georgia Kids Belong, whose mission is to improve the experiences and outcomes for children in Georgia’s foster care system.
During Foster Care Awareness Month each May, the Striders host foster care families in the Atlanta Braves Foundation’s Community Clubhouse -- a pregame hospitality space at Truist Park. Families receive complimentary food and beverages and enjoy a special meet-and-greet with the Striders.
Along with making regular visits to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, the Striders are also involved with the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Spencer hosted 11-year-old Beckett, a Make-A-Wish cancer survivor from Ontario, Canada, for a game at Truist Park this season.
After a 2024 mass shooting at Apalachee High School, the Striders went to the school to serve food to the students. The school’s varsity and junior varsity teams were Spencer’s special guests at a game earlier this season.
While the Braves pitcher is honored for the nomination, he has made it clear that his wife is the driving force of their philanthropic efforts.
“She's just such a special person,” Strider said. “I think anybody who's ever met her knows just how much she loves everyone that she comes into contact with, and how selfless with her time she is.”