Anthony Kay was drafted by the New York Mets in 2013 as the Mets’ second Ward Melville High School player after Steve Matz, who was drafted four years earlier.
Instead of signing with Matz, Kay opted to attend the University of Connecticut. In Connecticut, Kay had three successful seasons, the last of which was particularly fruitful.
The Mets selected Kay again in the first round (31st overall) in June 2016 after he concluded the season with a 3:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio and a 9-2 record with a 2.65 ERA (10 picks after T.J. Zeuch).
A signing bonus of $500,000 was agreed upon by Kay and the Mets due to concerns over some elbow abnormalities that were discovered during his test.
In the fall of 2016, he underwent Tommy John Surgery as a result of his concerns. There were numerous health issues and surgeries that kept Kay off the pitching mound from the end of his college career until the beginning of 2018.
In 2018, Kay will make his major league debut with the Columbia Mets of the Single-A South Atlantic League. His control was remarkable, with an almost 4:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio, as he tallied a 4-4 record and a 4.54 ERA in 13 starts.
As a result, Kay was promoted to St. Lucie’s High A for the final 10 starts of the season, with a lower ERA but an increase in walks as his walk rate decreased to a 2:1 ratio.
The Mets started Kay in AA Binghamton in 2019, where he was a star and regained control of the situation. With a 1.49 ERA and 0.92 WHIP to go along with a 7-3 record, Kay would make 12 starts.
Anthony Kay Prospect Ranking
MLB ranks Anthony Kay as Toronto’s fourth-best prospect.
