Toronto Blue Jays: Anthony Kay making case for spot in rotation
After breaking through to the majors last season, Anthony Kay is making a cast to make the Toronto Blue Jays opening day roster.
The Toronto Blue Jays have many pitchers in the mix for a spot in starting rotation and Anthony Kay is making sure his name doesn’t get lost.
In two innings of work, the 24-year-old’s aggressive approach that turned heads last season was back in fine form. He was getting his fastball to reach 95 MPH while making sure to attack hitters inside as he continued to pitch at a higher pace.
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What was also crucial was seeing Kay working in his offspeed pitches which as Keegan Matheson of MLB.com notes has been a work in progress since 2016 when he had Tommy John surgery.
"“I feel like I can throw [the changeup] in any count, if I get behind or to force contact and hopefully get groundouts with it,” Kay told reporters after his start. “I feel like I can [also] use it when I get ahead, for a strikeout pitch, when I can get a little bit lower and bury it to have them swinging over the top of it.”"
Right now, the Blue Jays rotation expects to feature Hyun-Jin Ryu, Tanner Roark, Chase Anderson, Matt Shoemaker and some combination of Trent Thornton, Shun Yamaguchi or Kay. An obvious solution would be to have Kay start in triple-A Buffalo and be the first call-up for injuries.
It’s not the worst thing considering how many pitchers went down last season and there’s no guarantee everyone returns from spring training 100 per cent healthy.
Considering Kay was one of the players acquired in the Marcus Stroman deal, the Blue Jays will want to see him make the decision tougher on them going into opening day. So far his audition against the Detroit Tigers suggests he’s on the right track and Toronto can move a player like Yamaguchi to the bullpen where the options are not as formidable.
Next. Nate Pearson’s approach is his biggest asset. dark
What do you think the Blue Jays should do with Kay going into the season? Let us know in the comments below.