Mets’ Tyler Stuart Rounds Out His Arsenal In Breakthrough Season
Righthander Tyler Stuart’s commitment to looking beyond his strong numbers and toward his weaknesses impressed Mets officials this season.
The 24-year-old recorded a 2.20 ERA in 21 starts for High-A Brooklyn and Double-A Binghamton, striking out 112 and walking 32 in 110.2 innings.
Opponents hit .222 against Stuart, and he allowed just seven home runs. His ERA ranked second in the minors among pitchers with at least 100 innings.
Just as notably, Stuart became invested in adding a cutter and changeup to his 92-93 mph sinker and low-80s slider mix.
The 6-foot-9 righty also worked to tighten his delivery to limit the running game after allowing 23 stolen base attempts, most of them during the first half of the season.
“He improved his time to the plate, and that was a huge piece in him advancing this year,” Mets assistant farm director Andrew Christie said. “He continues to dominate on the mound, and that is the primary focus, but it was pretty cool to see us help him develop in a different area.”
Stuart skipped his final two starts of the season with arm fatigue but was lined up for a regular offseason throwing program.
Stuart was a member of a Binghamton rotation that reached the Eastern League finals and included fellow prospects Christian Scott, Blade Tidwell and Dominic Hamel all vying for innings in New York the next two seasons.
A 2022 sixth-rounder out of Southern Mississippi, Stuart pitched primarily as a reliever for his final two collegiate seasons after returning from Tommy John surgery.
“When the results are so good like they were for Tyler, sometimes it’s hard to try to move the needle from a development standpoint because the guy has barely given up any runs,” Christie said.
“But he’s continued to tweak the arsenal, specifically with the cutter and the change, and they have gotten better.”
Stuart might have an intimidating presence on the mound, but his personality doesn’t necessarily match.
“He is a very gentle soul,” Christie said. “But he is a scary looking dude.”
