Atlanta Braves news: Max Fried and the pitch clock are a match made in heaven

The Atlanta Braves shouldn’t struggle much with the pitch clock this season, especially when ace Max Fried is on the mound.

Max Fried pitches with pace, and he’s excellent at it. He dictates how the game will go, rather than the hitter, and he’s one of the quicker pitchers in baseball.

So, when MLB instituted a pitch clock, Fried was one of the rare hurlers who would actually benefit from being rushed. That was the case in his first spring training outing of the 2023 season, when Fried struck out four of the eight batters he faced.

“I’m a guy who likes to work quick,” Fried said. “There were a lot of times when I was coming set and there was a lot of time left. I could hold it. I think there will definitely be an adjustment in the season with different weather and different environments. But all in all, I liked it.”

Atlanta Braves news: Pitch clock helps Max Fried

Fried emphasized the pitch clock in his first outing, hoping to adjust his game to it. However, he was surprised to find that he had plenty of time remaining when he was set, so it allowed him to put more pressure on the opposing hitter.

“I tried to use different pitches in different circumstances in the game to just kind of feel it out,” Fried said. “Like, what does it feel like when you get down to one [second]? How much time until you have to start your motion? How many times can you really shake? On top of that, just working with [catcher] Sean [Murphy] for the first time. It was more of me trying to get a feel of the game.”

Fried finished second in NL Cy Young voting last season, and will be favored to reach those heights again in 2023. By the sounds of it, the pitch clock might help.