Atlanta Braves fans were quick to criticize Bryce Elder after his rough start to the 2025 season — and with good reason. The team opened the year 0-7 and slipped to 5-13, with Elder becoming an easy scapegoat. His first three starts were shaky, posting a 7.20 ERA, including a brutal outing on April 11 against Tampa Bay where he gave up nine hits, five runs, and two homers.
Coming off a disappointing 2024 campaign (6.52 ERA in 10 games), Elder appeared to be continuing his decline. But since mid-April, the fourth-year righty has shown signs of a turnaround. His April 23 start against the Cardinals began with a rough first inning — two walks and an RBI double — which he later described as “atrocious.” However, he settled in and threw five scoreless innings afterward, finishing with six innings pitched, five hits allowed, and two strikeouts. Manager Brian Snitker praised Elder’s rebound as “huge.”
Elder followed that performance with another solid outing against the Rockies on April 28, earning his first win of the season. Despite giving up a three-run homer in the first inning, he again bounced back with five shutout frames, finishing six innings with five hits, two walks, and four strikeouts — tying his season high.
Still, critics remain cautious. Both the Rockies and Cardinals have losing records, with Colorado owning the worst win percentage in the league. Elder’s low strikeout rate (13.7%) is a career worst and places him in the bottom 7% of MLB pitchers. His fastball velocity (91.7 mph) and other key metrics — like whiff rate and run value — also rank near the bottom across the league.
Despite back-to-back quality starts, many still question if Elder has the tools to be a reliable MLB starter. He’ll get a chance to further silence doubters this weekend as the Braves face a much tougher opponent in the Los Angeles Dodgers.
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