Tyler Stuart came to the Nats in exchange for Jesse Winker, and he is almost MLB ready
The Washington Nationals have an affinity for big pitchers. They have 10 pitchers on their 40 man roster that are 6’4 or taller, with four of them being at least 6’6. The teams top two pitching prospects, Travis Sykora and Jarlin Susana are both 6’6. However, in a land of giants, nobody is bigger than the 6’9 Tyler Stuart.
The giant right hander was part of a one for one swap that sent Jesse Winker to the Mets. With Winker providing some memorable playoff moments, the Mets are already happy with their side of the deal, but Stuart has the ability to make an impact too.
After coming over, Stuart made a few dominant starts in double-a, including a 13 strikeout game before being promoted to Rochester. After a great debut, Stuart struggled in his last three starts in AAA. However, it was still a positive season for the righty.
Stuart’s fastball sits in the low to mid 90’s, but there was a report that he has been regularly in the 95 to 97 range this spring. He also reportedly made some tweaks to his arsenal. With a non roster invite to big league camp, we will be able to see this new and improved Stuart in Spring Training games.
Having mostly been a reliever in college, Stuart is an interesting piece because he should be able to fill both roles. His pitch mix would make sense in a bullpen role because he leans heavily on his fastball and slider. In 2023, he threw the slider nearly half the time. That arsenal screams reliever, but he has had a lot of success in the minors as a starter.
For a big guy, Stuart has very impressive control. He walked less than three batter per nine innings in both 2023 and 2024. A lot of big guys struggle with control because of their body type, but Stuart has the athleticism and feel to pitch to overcome that. The control is a big reason why he has had the chance to start.
At 25 years old and with success in the minors, Tyler Stuart feels like a high probability big leaguer. A role as a back end starter or quality middle reliever seems like the most likely paths. However, if his stuff has gotten much better, as has been reported, the ceiling could be higher.
Do not be surprised to see Tyler Stuart on the team at some point this season. If he does get a chance, he has the tools to make an impact. There are prospects in the system with more upside, but Stuart is a reliable arm that will be able to survive at the big league level.