Brendan McKay's run as the top prospect on my weekly top-10 list will be a short-lived one. Following an exhausting, 18-inning victory on Thursday that forced the Tampa Bay Rays to use both Jalen Beeks and Ryan Yarbrough for over 40 pitches, the club is now an arm or two short for this weekend's series against the Texas Rangers. Luckily for Tampa Bay, McKay has been one of the best pitchers in professional baseball and was just a phone call away.
Well, they made that call. McKay will pitch for the Rays on Saturday.
What he can do
Drafted in 2017 as a two-way player out of Louisville, McKay's arm has been several steps ahead of his bat since he turned pro. In 2019, he is having his best season, posting a 1.22 ERA over 66 2/3 innings between Double-A and Triple-A. He has punched out 88 while walking just 15 batters.
Leading with a low-90s fastball, the left-hander has a full assortment of pitches to throw at his opponents. McKay has two breaking balls: one that resembles a traditional curveball with big break and slower velocity, and one that comes in a bit firmer with cutting action. He also spins a decent changeup, but typically has not needed to dig that deep into his bag of tricks. Bringing the ensemble together is plus-control that borders command. He can spot the fastball on the corners with relative ease and can throw his secondary pitches for both chases and strikes, depending on the situation.
McKay has also improved as a hitter with the bump to Triple-A, but for now the focus will be on the mound.
What to expect
While visions of Shohei Ohtani may be dancing in your head, McKay's immediate focus will be on pitching. Even before the unscheduled "doubleheader" they played on Thursday, the Rays looked to be short on pitching. The back-end of their bullpen is a mess and Tyler Glasnow will not throw a ball again until mid-July at the earliest. Many people (including myself) thought Brent Honeywell would be available by now, but he will not pitch until 2020 at the earliest.
I think McKay's varied arsenal and plus-control will lead to immediate success at the highest level. I also think the Rays will be cautious in how they use him. McKay will undoubtedly be on a strict pitch count. The next time he throws 90 pitches will be the first time he has done so since leaving school. He will make a traditional start versus Texas, but I could see him filling a "bulk" role following someone like Ryne Stanek in a left-right tandem.
Furthermore, I can easily see some service time manipulation built around the schedule. The Rays need him this weekend for sure. They could perhaps use him against the division-leading New York Yankees next week as well. From there, it wouldn't surprise me if he is sent down prior to the All-Star break to work some side sessions with Durham and also to minimize his days on the active roster.
My advice is to pick up McKay now, regardless of what happens over the next few weeks. His usage may be a bit sporadic out of the gate, but the Rays need an impact arm and McKay has one.