Robert Stock Bio
Robert Anthony Stock is an American professional baseball pitcher currently in the New York Mets organization. Born on November 21, 1989, in Bellevue, Washington, he has built a long professional career across Major League Baseball, the KBO League, and independent and international leagues. Standing 6 feet 1 inch tall and weighing around 260 pounds, Stock is recognized for a powerful right-handed arm and an unusual path from catcher to late-inning reliever.
Originally drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals as a catcher in 2009, Stock transitioned to pitching and made his Major League Baseball debut with the San Diego Padres in 2018. He has since pitched for the Boston Red Sox, the Chicago Cubs, the New York Mets, and the Doosan Bears in South Korea. In 2023, he represented Team Israel at the World Baseball Classic, adding an international chapter to his professional journey.
Early Life and Background
Robert Anthony Stock was born in Bellevue, Washington, on November 21, 1989, and was raised in Agoura Hills and Westlake Village, California. He is Jewish and grew up attending temple and Hebrew school alongside his brothers and sisters. His parents are Gregg, an engineer, and Randi Stock, and the family encouraged his early interest in athletics. His brother Richard also played professional baseball, giving the household a clear athletic foundation.
Stock showed exceptional arm talent at a young age, reportedly throwing an 80-mile-per-hour fastball when he was just 12 years old. In 2002, he pitched a no-hitter to lead Agoura to an 11–1 victory over Taiwan in the Pony Baseball Bronco League World Series championship game. By the time he was 13, Baseball America had rated him the best baseball player of his age in the country, a ranking he repeated in 2004 and 2005. He also represented the United States junior national baseball team in 2004 and 2005, becoming the youngest player ever to suit up for that squad.
Path to Baseball
Stock attended Agoura High School in Agoura Hills, California, where he starred as both a catcher and a pitcher. During his sophomore season in 2003, he hit .405 with eight home runs and added a 5–1 record and 2.85 earned run average on the mound. The following year, he improved to a .456 batting average with six home runs while posting a 2.69 earned run average as a pitcher, drawing national attention with a fastball that reached 95 miles per hour. In 2005, he was named Baseball America’s Youth Player of the Year, becoming the first high school underclassman to win the honor, and was recognized as the Los Angeles Times Player of the Year.
Rather than enter the 2007 MLB draft, Stock enrolled a year early at the University of Southern California through its Resident Honors Program, finishing high school with a 3.8 grade point average and a 1410 SAT score. He became the first athlete in USC history to participate in Resident Honors, beginning college while still wearing braces. Across three seasons with the USC Trojans, he worked as a catcher and a pitcher, and he spent his summers playing for the Cotuit Kettleers of the Cape Cod Baseball League, where he was an All-Star in both 2007 and 2008.
Robert Stock Career
Early Career (2009–2017)
The St. Louis Cardinals selected Stock in the second round with the 67th overall pick of the 2009 MLB draft, and he signed for a $525,000 bonus. He opened his professional career as a catcher, batting .322 with seven home runs for the Johnson City Cardinals and earning Appalachian League All-Star honors. Baseball America rated him the tenth-best prospect in the Cardinals organization, but his offensive numbers sagged at higher levels, and the Cardinals moved him to the mound full time in 2013. After stops in the Astros and Pirates systems and a release in late 2014, he landed with the New Jersey Jackals of the Can-Am League in 2016, appearing in a league-record 52 games and going 1–2 with a 2.85 earned run average in 60 innings.
Stock signed with the Cincinnati Reds organization in 2017 and bounced back strongly between High-A Daytona and Double-A Pensacola, going 9–5 with a 2.82 earned run average over 70 innings in 41 relief appearances. That performance convinced the San Diego Padres to sign him to a minor league deal that November, opening the door to the Major Leagues.
MLB Breakthrough (2018–2020)
The Padres promoted Stock to the Major Leagues on June 24, 2018, and he made his debut that day, nine years after being drafted as a catcher. In 32 relief appearances as a rookie, he went 1–1 with a 2.50 earned run average and 38 strikeouts in 39⅔ innings. His fastball touched 100 miles per hour during spring training, and he threw 11 of the 12 fastest pitches by San Diego pitchers that season. He also posted the second-lowest swing rate against his in-zone sliders among Major League pitchers, trailing only Aroldis Chapman.
Stock returned to the Padres in 2019 but struggled to a 10.13 earned run average in ten relief appearances before a right biceps strain ended his season three months early. He was claimed off waivers by the Philadelphia Phillies that October and then moved on to the Boston Red Sox in July 2020. In ten relief appearances for Boston, he posted a 4.73 earned run average with 14 strikeouts in 13⅓ innings and went viral on social media after a fan tweet about his appearance drew a witty reply from his wife, Sara.
Doosan Bears and Independent Baseball (2021–2023)
After short stints with the Chicago Cubs and New York Mets in 2021, Stock signed a one-year, $500,000 contract with the Doosan Bears of the KBO League in January 2022. He started 29 games for Doosan, going 9–10 with a 3.60 earned run average and 138 strikeouts in 165 innings, providing some of the most consistent work of his career. He returned to the United States in 2023, pitching briefly for the Milwaukee Brewers’ Triple-A Nashville Sounds before joining the Long Island Ducks of the Atlantic League, where he went 9–4 with a 4.40 earned run average and threw a no-hitter against the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs on July 18.
Mexico and the Mets Return (2024–2025)
In February 2024, Stock signed with the Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos of the Mexican League, where he went 9–4 with a 3.38 earned run average and 104 strikeouts in 19 starts. He then joined Naranjeros de Hermosillo of the Mexican Pacific Winter League, going 10–2 with a 1.60 earned run average and leading the league in wins, earned run average, and strikeouts to capture the pitching Triple Crown. He returned to the Boston Red Sox on a minor league deal in January 2025, was added to the active roster twice during the season, and on November 25, 2025, signed a minor league contract with the New York Mets.
Driving Style and Strengths
Stock relies on a power repertoire built around a high-velocity four-seam fastball that has reached 102 miles per hour, paired with a slider and a changeup. He generates swings and misses in the strike zone at an elite rate and has historically averaged double-digit strikeouts per nine innings in the minors. Coaches have consistently praised his competitive toughness, which has carried him through repeated organizational changes and brief Major League opportunities.
Notable Events and Milestones
Stock’s most memorable Major League moment came on June 24, 2018, when he made his Padres debut exactly nine years after being drafted as a catcher. He also authored a no-hitter for the Long Island Ducks against the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs on July 18, 2023, and became the first Naranjeros pitcher to win the Mexican Pacific Winter League pitching Triple Crown during the 2024–25 season. Internationally, he represented Team Israel at the 2023 World Baseball Classic, earning one save in the tournament.
Robert Stock Career Wins
Across Major League Baseball, the KBO League, independent baseball, and the Mexican League, Stock has compiled a long résumé of team wins, personal awards, and milestone performances. While Major League opportunities have been limited, his work in foreign leagues and winter ball has produced some of the most decorated stretches of his career.
MLB Highlights
Stock owns a career 2–4 record with a 4.90 earned run average and 77 strikeouts in the Major Leagues. His most productive Major League season came as a 2018 rookie with the Padres, when he went 1–1 with a 2.50 earned run average and 38 strikeouts in 32 relief appearances. He later added appearances with the Red Sox, Cubs, and Mets between 2020 and 2021, and returned to Boston briefly during the 2025 season before being released in August.
Other Wins and Performances
In the KBO League with the Doosan Bears in 2022, Stock went 9–10 with a 3.60 earned run average and 138 strikeouts in 29 starts. In the Mexican League with Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos in 2024, he went 9–4 with a 3.38 earned run average and 104 strikeouts in 19 starts, finishing fifth in pitcher of the year voting. He added a 9–4 record and a no-hitter with the Long Island Ducks in 2023, and a 10–2 record with a 1.60 earned run average for Naranjeros de Hermosillo in the 2024–25 Mexican Pacific Winter League, capturing the pitching Triple Crown.
Robert Stock Family
Family Background and Baseball Lineage
Stock is the son of Gregg Stock, an engineer, and Randi Stock. His older brother Richard also played professional baseball, contributing to a household environment that supported competitive athletics. The family later lived in Agoura Hills and Westlake Village, California, where Stock sharpened his skills before becoming one of the most celebrated youth players in the country.
Personal Life
Stock is married to Sara Stock, whom he met on a blind date while she was on spring break in Palm Beach and he was attending Cardinals spring training. The couple became minor celebrities during the 2020 season when Sara’s playful Twitter reply to a viral post about Robert went widely shared. They continue to support his career through the many stops that have defined his long journey through professional baseball.
Robert Stock 2025 Season Performance
Stock opened 2025 in the Boston Red Sox system on a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training. After two scoreless appearances for the Triple-A Worcester Red Sox, Boston added him to the active roster on April 7, and he allowed one run on three hits in two innings against the Toronto Blue Jays. He was designated for assignment the next day and shuttled between Worcester and Boston multiple times before the Red Sox released him on August 11.
On November 25, 2025, Stock signed a minor league contract with the New York Mets, returning to the organization that had briefly employed him in 2021. The deal positioned him to compete for a relief role during spring training and to provide organizational depth in the upper minors. Coming off a winter season in which he led the Mexican Pacific League in wins, earned run average, and strikeouts, he arrived with momentum and a renewed opportunity to contribute at the Major League level.
