The Mets have signed the 31st overall pick Anthony Kay according to Jim Callis, he will receive a $1.1 signing bonus from the Mets which is significantly under the slot value of $1,972,100. It’s believed that there were some elbow issues in the left-hander’s physical which is part of the reason they were able to get the Long Island native $872,000 under slot.
UPDATED: 5:17 PM
Mets have concerns over Kay’s physical which showed fraying in the UCL ligament of his left elbow.
— BaseballontheIsland (@BaseballLI) July 13, 2016
The pick was was compensation for Daniel Murphy signing with the Washington Nationals during the offseason.
Here is the scouting report from Baseball America on the UCONN product:
A 29th round pick of the Mets out of high school, Kay was one of three promising Long Island prep arms, with Stephen Woods and Matt Vogel also showing promise. All three chose to go to college, and Kay has emerged as the best of the group. The ace of UConn’s staff, Kay throws three pitches for strikes. His fastball works in the low 90s and touches 95 early in his starts. Scouts see his changeup is an above-average or plus pitch; it shows both fade and tumble and generates swings and misses from righthanded hitters regularly. Kay has a tendency to throw his changeup from a slightly lower arm slot, giving scouts concerns that elite hitters will be able to see the pitch coming. He throws a breaking ball with slurvy shape. Kay usually throws the pitch against righthanded hitters, and has not thrown it with conviction this spring. Kay is on the shorter side, standing at 6-foot, but he has a wide, sturdy build.
Here is our initial report on the Mets drafting Kay over at MetsMinors.net. According to his brother, He will not pitch this year, and will not appear in the Brooklyn rotation or bullpen.
Yesterday, the Mets signed right-handed prep school pitcher Cameron Planck and have reportedly given the 11th rounder a $1,000,001 bonus.
