Former Rays farm hand will experience a homecoming with first start in Tampa

After taking game 1 of the series against the Milwaukee Brewers and ending their miserable losing streak at home, the Rays will go against a familiar face. Former Durham Bulls' starter, Tobias Myers will take the bump for the afternoon contest. The Florida native was considered to be one of the Rays top arms while he was a part of their farm system. Myers will now get the chance to show Tampa Bay what they've been missing when he takes the ball at Steinbrenner Field.

The Rays received Tobias Myers in a trade with their division rival Baltimore Orioles. The front office dealt former first overall pick, Tim Beckham for the hard-throwing Myers. Beckham was a failed draft pick despite his endless potential. The 6'0 shortstop his .247 with only 26 home runs in four seasons with the Rays.

Myers was looked upon highly by the Rays and figured to be a prospective ace of the future. However, his minor league stats in the Tampa Bay system never quite came to fruition. In a full 2021 campaign, he went 8-7 with a 3.90 ERA across two minor league clubs.

After that season, the Rays decided to send him to the Cleveland Guardians for current everyday third baseman, Junior Caminero. We would definitely say that this deal wound up working out in the long run for the Rays, as the former top prospect is starting to get very comfortable in the majors.

Cleveland would certainly be the team that immediately regretted this decision. In 2022, Myers went an awful 1-15 with a 7.82 ERA with three different organizations (Guardians, Giants, and White Sox). Nevertheless, the Brewers saw something in the young pitcher that many overlooked due to his horrid statistics. Milwaukee signed him in a free agency deal during the offseason of 2022.

It actually didn't take long for Tobias Myers to flourish in his new environment. Known for similar tactics as the Rays, the Brewers' staff focused on enhancing his command, while demonstrating a supportive and encouraging atmosphere. Well, Myers took the opportunity and ran with it, making his MLB debut only a year later.

In his first campaign, he went a solid 9-6 with a 3.00 ERA and 127 strikeouts. The Milwaukee coaching staff now views him as one of their top starting pitchers behind Freddy Peralta and Brandon Woodruff. Myers will face a former teammate in Taj Bradley today as both teams look to stay afloat in their respective divisions.