Why Mets pitchers such as Robert Stock will play a significant role these next few weeks
Mets interim manager Andy Green takes the ball from starting pitcher Robert Stock during the fifth inning against the Washington Nationals at Citi Field on Friday. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
You may not have paid too much attention to Robert Stock’s pitching line Friday against the Nationals.
As the Mets trudge through this final stretch of the season, it may not have mattered too much to you that he kept Washington off balance for 4 1⁄3 serviceable innings, hit 97 mph with his fastball and navigated defensive miscues well.
He is, after all, a 36-year-old journeyman, and he’s in Flushing to eat up innings, earn a major-league paycheck and maybe extend his career in a meaningful way.
All of that might make you think he doesn’t have too much of a place in the Mets’ future.
In reality, he currently holds a significant place — even if indirectly.
“We’re thinking about them and their long-term health,” interim manager Andy Green said before the Mets’ 4-1 win Friday. “Given where we are at this moment, that becomes a priority.”
The “them” in question wasn’t the night’s pitcher — though the Mets certainly care about Stock’s health as well — but the trio of rookie pitchers who stand to anchor this rotation next year.
One problem — they’re all going places they’ve never gone before.
And pitchers such as Stock? They’re the guys no one talks about and whose contributions get overlooked, though they can help key the success of their peers.
Zac Thornton, 24, is up to 108 innings pitched between the minors and majors, with his previous high being 72 2⁄3 innings. Nolan McLean, 25, is up to 136 2⁄3 innings, along with pitching in the World Baseball Classic, with his previous high at 113 2⁄3 innings. And Christian Scott, 27 and in his first year back from Tommy John surgery, has 92 innings to his name, with his previous high being 87 2⁄3, accomplished in 2023.
Scott is scheduled to make his 18th start of the season Sunday, McLean will go Monday and Thornton lines up to pitch Tuesday.
On Monday, Thornton told Newsday that he’s spoken with pitching coach Justin Willard and assistant pitching coach Dan McKinney about his workload, but the crafty lefty didn’t seem upset about it.
“I feel good,” he said. “I kind of had questions with [McKinney and Willard] to see where their minds were at on everything — like innings limits and all that. And it was kind of like, if you feel good, we’re going to keep sending you out there. So feel good about it.”
But there are limits, and Green showed that recently, pulling Thornton after 80 pitches, McLean after 85 pitches and Scott after a rough 82 pitches in the Mets’ series against Atlanta.
“I think you got maybe a little bit of a visual of [the load management] in our last series,’’ Green said.
“We don’t look at it as this number of innings is healthy for a player,” he added. “Frankly, we don’t know exactly how many innings are great for everybody, but we have bits of information that we pay attention to consistently, and that information leads us to informed decisions. We make those [decisions] as we get updates on their health, how they feel, how they’re responding, what their measurements are, and all those guys feel good and in a good spot and we’re comfortable with them going forward and continuing to pitch for us.”
That’s where Stock can help the future.
He knows his role after marinating in the minors between 2021 and 2025, and after 15 seasons in professional baseball, there’s a fearlessness to his presence.
After an excellent first start against the Marlins on Aug. 2, the funky righty with an almost violent sidearm delivery imploded against the Pirates, allowing eight runs in three innings. Still, on the roster he stayed, and Green didn’t mince words when asked why: The Mets need arms, Stock can get guys out when he’s on, and pivotally, the youngsters need to be protected.
Stock and a surprisingly resurgent Sean Manaea are providing a value greater than meaningless wins and losses. This is further compounded by the fact that the Mets’ bullpen was gutted at the deadline, is missing Devin Williams and poses a real question as to how much of a burden this unit can reasonably carry.
There are so many benefits to this. For Stock, “obviously when you get to a certain point in your career, you’re aware enough to know that any time you take the mound could be your last time,” Green said. “So that’s a different kind of pressure to pitch with. So when you get an extra opportunity after that, you want to take advantage of that.”
The rookie trio, meanwhile, have been protected to a degree but not coddled.
Thornton, for one, is interested in seeing how far his body can go and what he needs to work on to have it stick.
“Yeah, I am” excited, he said. “Obviously, I know I need to get a little bigger and a little stronger to do this consistently for years to come. But yeah, I’m excited.”
Notes & quotes: Mark Vientos (broken hand) “looks really good” and has begun hitting, Green said. There’s no timetable for his return. Williams (right shoulder strain) and Juan Soto (calf strain) have yet to make significant progress.
Laura Albanese is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. She's been covering MLB since 2014 after starting at Newsday as an intern seven years earlier.
