After winding journey, righty's 'Stock' back on the rise

This story was excerpted from Ian Browne¡¯s Red Sox Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- For right-hander Robert Stock, the journey to get to Fort Myers and get a second chance to pitch for the Red Sox was long, winding and, at times, exhausting.

It is a testament to his perseverance. Consider Stock¡¯s path.

He was once highly touted enough to be a second-round pick out of USC by the Cardinals in 2009 as a catcher. Then came the transition to pitching three years later, before finally making his Major League debut and having a solid rookie year (2.50 ERA for the Padres in 32 relief appearances) in ¡¯18.

After that came years of moving from one organization to another in an elusive quest to get his groove back.

If you have vague memories of Stock, it is because he pitched 10 of the 60 games the Red Sox played in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. Back then, he had a big, bushy beard, notching a 4.73 ERA.

Five years later, Stock is back as a clean-shaven, sidearm slinger. That arm release change happened in Mexico, where he pitched for Dos Laredos last summer and during the ¡®24¡¯-25 winter season for Hermosillo.

Those 14 starts in the October-January winter slate is what really caught the eye of the Red Sox, as Stock had a 1.60 ERA in 84 1/3 innings.

Stock looks forward to being judged for what he has evolved into, rather than what he once was, when he last pitched in a Major League game for the Mets in 2021.

¡°I throw sidearm now. That¡¯s a big difference. I have a cutter I didn¡¯t have then,¡± Stock said. ¡°What¡¯s changed about me is I just have a much better idea of what I'm doing as a pitcher.¡±

In 2022, Stock kept chasing his dream by going to South Korea and pitching for Doosan in the KBO. That season was average, as the numbers (9-10, 3.60 ERA, 4.5 BB/9 and 1.485 WHIP) demonstrate.

The attempt at reinvention started in the Brewers¡¯ farm system in ¡¯23.

¡°When I signed with the Brewers in 2023, it was because we were going to try and develop a sinker for me, and I wanted to do that, and they wanted to do that,¡± Stock said. ¡°But I got there, and my feel for it initially was terrible, and so a couple months, or a month-and-a-half in, I wasn't ever getting to pitch, and rightfully so, because they had guys who were pitching significantly better than me. So I asked to get released, to go play independent ball, just for the innings, for the development.¡±

And that started a 16-start stint with the Long Island Ducks for the rest of that summer.

But then came what he hopes will go down as the career-altering move to Mexico.

¡°Specifically, the second half of the summer season in Mexico was when I started throwing sidearm and, at the same time, my stats really went up,¡± said Stock.

Forgive him, however, if his energy level was sapped at times.

¡°It was hot. And terrible travel,¡± said Stock. ¡°But at the same time, you're playing baseball that really feels like it matters. Everything's on the line for the fans. Those are big league games for them. It's way more of a feeling that you have to succeed than even in the Minor Leagues.¡±

Stock notes that the bus rides were three hours just to get to the airport.

Once the Red Sox spotted his improvements and signed him to a Minor League contract with an invite to Spring Training on Jan. 15 -- just after his first start of the playoffs during his winter season -- it all became worth it.

¡°I feel like my reaction was happiness, but my goal was to be in the big leagues for a long time, so this is just one minute step along the way,¡± said Stock. ¡°Whenever you're playing outside of [the country], the goal is just get back to the States, get back to a chance to be on a big league club.¡±

As a non-roster invitee, the 35-year-old Stock is probably a long shot to make the team out of camp, particularly given the improved depth of the Boston pitching staff.

His most realistic path is to impress the team during Spring Training and be ready for a callup once a need arises during the season.

¡°It¡¯s a great feeling to be back, but at the same time, it doesn't really count until you're back in the Major Leagues,¡± said Stock. ¡°So I know I have quite a bit of my work cut out for me.¡±