It was just four years ago the Long Island baseball community was celebrating the promotion of Ward Melville 2009 grad Steven Matz to the big leagues with the New York Mets.
While it is north of the border, Ward Melville 2013 grad Anthony Kay joins the exclusive club of Long Island natives to get the promotion to The Show. Kay, 24, was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays just before the July 31 trade deadline along with Simeon Woods Richardson for Pat-Med 2009 grad Marcus Stroman.
After a very difficult first start with Triple-A Buffalo (4.2 IP, 9 H, 7 R, 3ER), the southpaw has bounced back in a big way. Overall, his numbers with Buffalo are stellar.
He has thrown 36 innings, allowing 10 ER (2.50 ERA), with 39 strikeouts while allowing just 33 hits. His walks, 22, are a little high but with his velocity, he has been able to overcome it. With Triple-A Syracuse, he struggled to a 6.61 ERA over 31.1 IP with the opposition hitting .325 against him.
He started for Buffalo today, which means he won’t be available for five days but with the Bisons not making the Triple-A postseason and the MLB rosters expanding, there’s no sense in having him go home.
For those unfamiliar, Kay was absolutely lights-out at Ward Melville.
Just four years after getting Matz drafted by the Mets in the second round, Kay was drafted by the Mets in the 29th round in 2013. He made a name for himself the previous year when he pitched the entire season (55 innings) without yielding an ER. Despite not quite matching that same feat in 2013, he led the Patriots to a Long Island Championship over Massapequa.
He wound up opting to attend UCONN. The decision certainly paid off as he was selected in the first round (31st overall) by the Mets in the 2016 MLB Draft. After having the start of his career delayed by Tommy John, he eventually solidified himself as a top prospect with the Mets before being dealt to Toronto.
In any event, this is terrific news for Long Island baseball fans. We have another player in the show and at just 24-years-old, there’s every chance that he can stick around for the next several seasons.
For those who dismiss northeast baseball–specifically Long Island–we now have another one.
