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Anthony Kay
School: UCONN
Position: LHP
Height: 6’0″
Weight: 187 lbs.
Bats: L
Throws: L
Anthony Kay 2016 MLB Draft Profile
Kay hails from Stony Brook, NY which is on Long Island, and graduated from Ward Melville High School, the very same HS that produced NY Mets starter Steven Matz. Kay was drafted in 2013 by the NY Mets in the 29th Round, but chose to attend the University of Connecticut. While at UConn, Kay has dazzled, earning himself some impressive hardware along the way (American Athletic Conference First Team All-Conference, ABCA/Rawlings All-Northeast Region Second Team, & NEIBA All-New England First Team). During his sophomore season, Huskies head coach Jim Penders was quoted as saying, “He’s been as good a sophomore as we’ve ever had”.
Strengths:
- Fastball: 90-93 mph, peaking at 94 mph, Change-up: 82-84 mph
- Ground Ball Percentage: 47.18%
- Great command over fastball and change-up
- Not afraid to throw change-up on full count
- Contact pitcher that keeps ball down, produces a lot of groundballs
- Great pick-off move to first.
- Above average velocity
- Can throw 4 pitches for strikes
Weaknesses:
- On the smaller side, shows effort with delivery which can lead to late inning fatigue.
- Curveball is underdeveloped and has average potential
- Currently has no put-away pitch
MLB Comparison: Marco Gonzalez, St. Louis Cardinals
Projected Pick Range: Depends on who you talk to. Some have him going in the 1st round between 20-30 overall, but others have him projected for 2nd round, 40-45 overall.
Most Likely Landing Spot: Cincinnati Reds
Video
Bottom Line
With above average velocity for a lefty and one of the best change-ups in this class, Kay would be a great addition to any MLB staff. While he doesn’t have the makings of an ace, he would fit nicely into the back-end rotation, or at the very least, as a 2-hitter lefty specialist.
Main Photo via Youtube.com
