Tyler Stuart, Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized
Tyler Stuart has been nothing short of incredible in the first half of the 2023 season, boasting a 1.47 ERA in Brooklyn to lead the way for the Cyclones staff. He has a 30.2 K%, a strong 8.1 BB%, and a 46.6% groundball rate, resulting in a .594 OPS against. Stuart’s success is due to his unique pitch mix and usages, highlighted by his outstanding slider.
What He’s Done Well
Stuart’s season high for runs allowed in an outing is two and he has been a model of consistency and reliability for skipper Chris Newell. His pitch count has gradually crept up and he’s now worked over 100 pitches in a couple of outings and is showing signs of being a durable workhorse.
His pitch mix is balanced and works well to both types of hitters and consists of a mini-sweeper in the low 80s with close to 10 inches of horizontal break to his glove side, two-seam usually in the 93-94 range that is better because of his high release height, change up at 86 (-7 mph from his fastball), and four-seam with over 6 inches more vertical break than his two-seam. The fastball differentiation is impressive as not many pitchers are capable of throwing both types–Sandy Alcantara and Logan Webb are two MLB arms that come to mind who have done this well in the past.
His slider is used more than any other pitch and while that’s unusual for a starter, there’s no reason to expect a regression there as he has balanced usages between his three ‘secondaries’. Of course, another thing that makes him unique is that he is a giant, standing at 6’9″ and would be one of MLB’s tallest pitchers.
What He Could Do Better
The short answer here is not much. Stuart’s on-field statistics are impressive, but organizations can always search for more to make their prospects more projectable to the Show. Stuart could potentially utilize his height more to adjust to a higher release height and thus make his sinker a steeper and more difficult pitch to hit, likely increasing both ground ball and swing and miss rates. It’s tough to change a release point in general and due to his success, it seems there is no imminent need to force a physical change.
He could also balance out fastball usage with his slider a bit as his slider sits in the low 80s and likely won’t be as much of a swing-and-miss offering at higher levels if hitters can sit on it easily. However, it is important to note that these suggestions are nit-picky and shouldn’t be made until they are deemed necessary as he has plenty of time left to develop in the minor leagues before making it to Queens. He will likely spend a good chunk of the summer in Binghamton and can use his tenure in Rumble Town to determine if his current recipe will continue to satisfy.
Final Thoughts
The 2022 6th rounder out of Southern Mississippi is quickly making a name for himself and should rise up the ranks quickly as the Mets are desperate for pitching depth due to MLB struggles and trades in recent years exhausting the farm system of starting pitching depth. While Mets fans would prefer that he stays in the system, history says that he is also becoming a trade chip in his own right–although he may continue to prove such high worth that he becomes a gem that needs to stay in the system.
