Brendan McKay
Age: 22 (12/18/95)
Bats/Throws: L/L
Height/Weight: 6’2” 212 lbs.
Team/Level/League: Charlotte Stone Crabs/High A/Florida State League
Body/Athleticism:
Athletic build, thick shoulders, well-proportioned frame. Minimal body projection - likely to add ~10 pounds of good weight.
Mechanics:
Simple, easy, repeatable. Stays tall on back leg. Throws downhill. Average arm speed. Minimal effort. Well-balanced, linear with a high 3/4 arm slot. Little to no wasted effort with clean arm path. Moves in-line to target.
Fastball:
60/60 - Consistently sitting 93-94, touching 96. Sequencing FB dominant. Likes to establish early in the count. Will extend the plate more laterally than vertically. Presently not a swing-and-miss pitch. Goes to FB in hitter’s count.
FB Command:
50/60 - More control over command at present. FB finds too much of the plate, especially when behind in the count, leading to base hits. Should improve with reps and better sequencing.
FB Movement:
40/40 - Straight with minimal to no arm side run. True 4-seamer. Occasionally flat through the zone.
Cutter:
55/60 - Sits around 90 mph. Flashes hard glove side movement but inconsistent at present. Will elevate and extend the plate to LHH. Throws with confidence. Nice compliment to FB. Flashes swing-and-miss potential.
Curveball:
55/60 - 82-83 mph. Flashes plus with consistent shape and downward break. Tight spin and 1 to 7 shape. Underutilized in two looks possibly due to emphasis on SL development. Saves pitch for second time through the order.
Slider:
50/70 - 85-87 mph. Flashes 70 at present with 2-plane tilt. Hard, tight breaker that will jump to the backfoot of RHH. Multiple swing-and-misses. True swing-and-miss pitch. Has not shown confidence in front-door to LHH.
Change-up:
50/55 - 84-86 mph. Present average offering but flashes above-average to plus at times. Good arm speed that compliments FB. Pitch has arm side fade and depth. Can generate swing-and-miss. Extends plate against RHH.
Control/Command:
60/60 - Presently pounds the zone with more control over command of FB. Needs to improve sequencing which is FB dominant. Command of off-speed generates swing-and-miss and weak contact. Will get in trouble with FBs over the middle of the plate. Needs to trust off-speed offerings in hitters counts in order to compete with advanced hitters.
Overall:
65/Moderate Risk - Definite #2 SP that could flash #1 potential at peak. Five-pitch arsenal with plus command of off-speed. Will need to improve sequencing to keep hitters off the FB. At present, lacks velocity separation of CB/SL/CH, with all three hovering around 83-87 mph. Hitters can eliminate certain offspeed offerings due to predictability. Stuff plays to the top of the rotation at present. Reps and experience will allow McKay to better locate within the zone and for his stuff to play up.