PHOENIX — Tobias Myers is truly a versatile player for the Mets, though not in the traditional sense. He’s not bouncing between different positions; instead, he’s a pitcher who can adapt to multiple roles.
This season, he’s already been tapped as an opener, used as a long reliever, and even as a setup man. Most recently, he took on closing duties, securing a flawless 10th inning during the Mets’ 3-1 victory over the Diamondbacks—marking the first save of his major league career.
“It was a fantastic feeling to get that first save, especially with guys like Craig Kimbrel and Devin Williams around. Their reactions and the conversations we had afterward meant a lot to me,” Myers shared before the Mets faced Arizona again on Saturday.
Before that game, he’d pitched in 12 games with a 3.42 ERA, which reflects a solid but not remarkable performance as a reliever. The Mets’ bullpen had an overall ERA of 3.93, placing them 13th in Major League Baseball.
Manager Carlos Mendoza praised Myers, saying, “[Myers] has been a tremendous asset in numerous ways, whether he’s pitching multiple innings or serving as an opening pitcher. For him to step in and get the last three outs after a challenging game in Colorado really highlights his character as a competitor and a player.”
In a previous game where he was called upon to maintain an eight-run lead, Myers struggled, leading to Mendoza needing to dig deeper into the bullpen to secure the win. He had a particularly rough outing, allowing four earned runs over less than an inning, which included two home runs.
“I didn’t think we executed a good game plan,” he reflected. “I realized I had to adjust my approach, especially with the splitter. Maybe I should’ve steered clear of it a bit. It was a mix of that and some poorly placed pitches,” he explained.
The 27-year-old right-hander was acquired in a January trade that sent Freddy Peralta to Queens and brought back Brandon Sproat and Jett Williams to Milwaukee.
So far, Myers has pitched three innings in relief, with his only start occurring on April 19 against the Cubs, where he went for two innings as the opener. There’s a chance that he could start in place of David Peterson on Sunday, as Manager Mendoza has appointed Huascar Brazoban to pitch ahead of Peterson.
Myers’ key strength seems to be his command. He issued just four walks over 23.3 innings pitched this season, giving him a walk rate of 4.3 percent, which ranks in the 96th percentile in MLB.
“When I’m at my best, I just focus on attacking the strike zone. It’s all about getting ahead, hitting strike one, strike two. That’s the mindset I strive for, especially when coming into tight situations late in games. You want to avoid giving away free bases,” he noted.
His barrel rate is 4.2%, landing him in the 84th percentile among his peers.
“I have to give credit to the catchers for their guidance on pitches,” Myers said. “I think I did reasonably well with fastballs in good locations, but when it comes to breaking balls, I may have left some over the plate. The catcher does a great job of reading the batters and making the right calls.”
