How Tobias Myers is refreshingly different from so many other NY Mets pitcher finds

No one is in denial about the role Tobias Myers will have on the New York Mets. Whether in relief or in the rotation, he’s going to get a lot of innings for the club in 2026.

He’s a bit different though and not in a “keeps to himself, only eats pudding, why does his house smell like cats when he doesn’t have one” kind of way. Myers doesn’t have all of the qualities a David Stearns-led Mets team seems to seek out.

Refreshingly different from the hard-throwing strikeout monsters who’ll give you agita with the inability to throw strikes at times, he has been a bit of an overachiever in terms of results versus what would be expected. Statisticians who rely on predicting outcomes will scoff at him. Prone to contact and always at the softest rate, Myers is unexceptional and yet not worrisome because of how middle-of-the-road he appears to be.

Tobias Myers is what he is and that’s plenty good

Traditional thinkers will be blown away by Myers. A 3.15 ERA in the majors is all they need to see. Many of the underlying ones tell a different tale. Myers has a 3.91 FIP and 3.92 FIP season. More than a hit per inning allowed last year and fewer than 7 K/9, it was a big drop off from the already not-so-brilliant rookie year he put together in 2024.

This isn’t to take away from anything Myers has done. His 3.00 ERA in 138 innings almost exclusively as a starter in 2024 shouldn’t be poo-pooed because of the 3.91 FIP or 3.2 home run percentage, the latter slightly above league average. Myers doesn’t walk a whole lot of batters (or strike them out) and his spread of line drives, ground balls, and fly balls isn’t great. He has a worse-than-league average of line drives and below it in ground balls. It’s very different from everyone else Stearns seems to prefer on his pitching staff.

It’s sometimes hard to argue against the idea of soft-contact, ground balls, and strikeouts equalling better results. Myers is below-average in all of these areas (not by a lot) and yet he has managed to get away without a great deal of damage. He does rely on a strong defense behind him, something the Mets value and will hope can keep him on a steady track while coaching can develop him further as a pitcher.

Balls will get hit hard and often against Myers. It’s a matter of frequency and where they land and how far they go.

FanGraphs projections don’t favor Myers having another season of good luck with ERA predictions ranging from Steamer’s 3.95 to ZiPS declaring a 4.38 ERA season ahead for him.

As for any pitcher, it’s not always just about the earned run average. A handful of bad appearances can completely spoil that one statistic. It’ll be about coming through when the Mets need him that’ll define Myers’ stint most. The 1.91 ERA in 28.1 innings in a reliever last year, all but one in the second-half, is what’ll mean much more. The Mets are going to need him steady in August and September when much of the remaining staff from last year faltered.