Age: 36 (11/21/89) B/T: L/R
Traditional Stats: 1-3, 5.93 ERA, 1.75 WHIP, 30 1/3 IP, 29 SO, 15 BB, 7 GS, 8 G
Advanced Stats: 69 ERA+, 19.7 K%, 10.2 BB%, 5.07 xERA, 3.92 FIP, 4.96 xFIP, .371 BABIP, 0.5 fWAR, -0.3 bWAR
2026 Salary: $780,000
Grade: D+
2026 Review
Robert Stock underwent surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome during spring training after noticing symptoms while getting ready to pitch for Israel in the World Baseball Classic. He started a minor-league rehab assignment in June and the Mets called him up on Aug. 2.
In his first MLB start in more than a year, he gave up one run on three hits over five innings in a 2-0 loss to the Marlins. That earned him another turn in the rotation.
The next outing, however, was a disaster. Eight earned runs on nine hits and five walks in three innings vs. the Pirates.
“I experienced some bad luck early … but that can always be overcome by striking people out,” he said on Aug. 8. “So there is some pitches I can execute better. And then by the fourth inning I’m looking up at the board just feeling my velo go down and my arm get tired.
“It wasn’t the pitch count total, I think it was just pitches per minute was pretty quick. I need to be more resilient to getting fatigued and not start losing the counts and stuff. Two things is that if I execute pitches better early in the game then I won’t have to deal with the fatigue. And even when you get fatigued – it’s going to happen – you still need to fill up the zone.”
Stock rebounded from that performance with two solid showings, then got hit hard again, allowing seven earned runs on 10 hits in a loss to Milwaukee. He made three more appearances before his season ended prematurely when he developed numbness in the fingers on his pitching hand in mid-September. The issue was related to the TOS surgery.
2027 Preview
Stock is a free agent and has no intention of calling it quits. He told Mike Puma of the New York Post last month that he intends to pitch in the majors for another 20 years. He was serious. He cited Jamie Moyer, who pitched to age 49.
“Aside from the lack of circulation, my arm, when we got all the other imaging done, it looked great,” he told Puma. “I feel great. I am throwing fast for someone that throws from a low slot and I have no reason to think that will decay anytime soon.”
Stock has pitched for the Mets, Padres, Cubs and Red Sox in an MLB career that started in 2018. He’s pitched 11 seasons in the minors, two years in independent leagues and made stops in Mexico and South Korea.
“Every game is just me trying to prove that I can hang and I can stay,” he said on Aug. 19 after allowing one run in 4 1/3 innings vs. the Nationals. “There’s no one out there that wants it more than me.”
