The Kennel: Robert Stock

If you haven't seen a Robert Stock fastball then you might do a double take at the radar when you finally get the chance. Then when you take a look at the 2009 MLB draft in June and see that he was selected as a catcher by the St. Louis Cardinals, you'll be doing another double take.

What Stock brings to El Paso for his second stint with the team is veteran leadership, experience and velocity on a Four-Seamer that has been clocked in at 101.3 MPH on his YouTube channel. The right-throwing, left-swinging pitcher made his MLB debut last June against San Francisco and recorded two K's in one inning. This season for San Diego, Stock has a ERA of 9.00 after recording two K's in 1.2 innings in his season debut, also against the Giants. It wasn't until the second week of April that Stock arrived in El Paso for 2019.

We caught up with Stock for the first edition of The Kennel. One of the first things we asked him was about the transition from catcher to pitcher and if it's helped out by being on the other side of the plate for some time.

Pitching Coach Bronswell Patrick plays a major role in the development of pitchers that come through El Paso to San Diego. This is what Stock had to say about what he's learning from Coach Patrick.

Throughout his career Stock, has spent time with different farm systems such as St. Louis, Cincinnati and Pittsburgh. We asked what he's been doing differently here in El Paso and the Padres system than the other places he's been.

Robert and his brother Richard (also drafted as a C but with Cleveland) are seven episodes into the Try Harder Podcast. When asked about the inspiration behind it, Stock replied:

On April, 26th at Las Vegas, Stock recorded a season high in K's with three in 1.0 innings pitched en route to his first win on the year (1-0). As a Chihuahua in 2019, Stock has tossed 4.2 innings and given up three earned runs to accompany his five K's. With San Diego's injury report currently featuring seven pitchers it's possible that Stock could make his return to San Diego before we know it. Mound performance for the Chihuahuas has been a key to the team's recent success as they currently hold the 4th spot for most K's as a team at 221.

Stay tuned for more Chihuahuas profiles as the season continues to unfold. Catch the rest of El Paso's road trip as they continue the series against Fresno and look for their 11th straight win on year tonight at 7:30 p.m. on 600 ESPN El Paso and the 600 ESPN El Paso App.