Toronto Blue Jays 2020 Report Cards: Anthony Kay

Jays Journal contributors will be authoring Toronto Blue Jays report cards based on how each player performed in 2020. In this edition, we take a look at Anthony Kay.

Anthony Kay, one of the pitchers acquired from the New York Mets in exchange for Marcus Stroman, pitched exclusively out of the bullpen this season.

In 13 relief appearances, the lefty went 2-0 with a 5.14 E.R.A. over 21 innings. He struck out 22 batters and also gave up 22 hits while holding hitters to an average of .268.

Kay’s arsenal

According to Baseball Savant, Kay can throw four pitches. A fastball (56.5%), curveball (23.2%), changeup (18.1%) and cutter (2.2%).

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Off his fastball, batters hit .300 against it although the expected batting average (XBA) was 50 points lower at .250. Also, opposing batters slugged .620 off Kay’s fastball.

His changeup was his most effective pitch this season with batters batting .182 with a slugging percentage of .273. Kay got very lucky though with the word “lucky” being bold. The XBA off his changeup was .430 with the expected slugging percentage (XSLG) being .549. A huge difference.

His curveball, which was primarily used against left-handed batters, saw hits being given up at a clip of .222 with an XBA of .274.

He only threw nine cutters, six against right-handed batters. Batters batted and slugged .333 off his cutter but the hitters that saw Kay’s cutter got lucky as the XBA was .114 and the XSLG was .151.

Grade

Kay didn’t have much of an impact on the Blue Jays in the 2020 season, he did make 13 relief appearances while accumulating a less than spectacular 5.14 earned run average while fanning 22 batters in 21 innings of work in 2020.

While he will probably won’t be a rotation piece going forward, he could be an option in the bullpen for the future. One thing that he holds to his advantage is the fact that he’s left-handed. Southpaws are essential in forming a solid, strong, and balanced bullpen and Kay could very well be featured in the Jays pen.

What do you think the future holds for Kay in a Jays uniform?

Final grade: C+