Stability and continuity have been hard to come by for the Milwaukee Brewers starting rotation. Due to injuries and underperformance, 16 different pitchers including openers have made a start this season for the Brew Crew. However, one pitcher who has stood out from the crowd is Tobias Myers. In a fluid Brewers starting rotation, the 26-year-old has essentially become Milwaukee’s unofficial ace. However, Myers’s journey to becoming one of the leaders of the rotation was anything but easy.
A Long Journey Before Finding A Home In Milwaukee
Before signing a minor league contract with the Milwaukee Brewers, one could make the argument that his career was on life support. Tobias Myers was a bit of a journeyman he spent time with the Baltimore Orioles, Tampa Bay Rays, Cleveland Guardians, San Francisco Giants, and Chicago White Sox organizations. During that span, he was traded three times designated for assignment, and released one time each. He never appeared in a big-league game for any of those clubs.
In November of 2022, the Milwaukee Brewers signed Myers to a minor league contract. Myers spent the 2023 season split between the Brewers Double-A and Triple-A teams. He appeared in 20 games making 26 starts total, he accumulated a 10-5 record, and an ERA of 4.93 with 175 strikeouts across 140 2/3 innings pitched. However, he once again didn’t appear in a game for the big club.
Tobias Myers Has Been The Unofficial Ace Since June
Embed from Getty ImagesIn mid-April of 2024, Tobias Myers was called up to the show for the first time in his career. However, Milwaukee sent him back down to the minor leagues the next day without appearing in a game. Later that month, Wade Miley would be placed on the injured list and later be ruled out for the season. The Brewers immediately called up Myers and he made his big-league debut on April 23rd against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The 26-year-old had an inconsistent first month in the big leagues. However, once the calendar flipped to June, Tobias Myers proved he belonged in the big leagues. Since June, Myers has a record of 5-3 with an ERA of 1.76, 58 strikeouts, and just 15 walks. He’s also registered seven quality starts and only given up six home runs during that span as well. An argument could be made that the rookie starter has become the unofficial ace of the starting rotation.
What Has Made Him Successful This Season
Myers has a six-pitch arsenal that includes his four-seam fastball, cutter, slider, changeup, curveball, and sinker. The righty primarily relies on his four-seamer, cutter, slider, and changeup. However, he’ll throw his curveball occasionally, but he has very rarely thrown his sinker this season. This game plan has allowed Myers to have a strikeout rate of 21.2% compared to a walk rate of just 6.2%. Whenever opponents do make contact, the average exit velocity off their bats has been just 89.7 miles per hour.
Tobias Myers Has Proven He Belong In The Bigs
Embed from Getty ImagesNobody expected Tobias Myers to be the Brewers’ unofficial ace this season. However, in a starting rotation that has been mostly unstable all season, Tobias Myers has brought Milwaukee stability. Given his performance this season, one could argue that he should receive Rookie of the Year award votes. More importantly, the Brewers have lots of team control remaining on Myers. The 26-year-old rookie starting pitcher has earned a place in the Brewers starting rotation in the future.
For more on baseball, check out Belly Up Sports and follow Eric Katz on Twitter/X. Featured images from Getty Images
