With their fourth round pick in the 2022 MLB draft, the Pittsburgh Pirates selected left-handed pitcher Michael Kennedy out of Troy HS in New York. He’s one of the youngest players in the draft, turning 18 at the end of November.
Kennedy is fairly advanced for his age/location, as players from the Northeast tend to develop slower due to less playing time. He stands 6’1″, 205 pounds and has a commitment to LSU. Pipeline grades him as having 55 grades for his fastball, slider and control, along with a 50 grade for his changeup. He’s ranked 89th overall for them.
Baseball America rates his pitches as 55 for the slider and 50 for the changeup, so those are the same as Pipeline, but they have him with better control (60 grade) and a full grade lower on the fastball (45). The interesting part about those grades is that BA has a higher velocity on him, saying that he touches 94, while Pipeline has him maxed out at 92. One very interesting note here is that BA believes he doesn’t have a lot of projection left, despite his age. He’s already filled out his frame some, so that could be the reason for the grade. Pipeline also notes that his fastball has life up in the zone and he hides the ball well with some deception in his delivery.
BA notes that his slider works well against both righty/lefty batters, while Pipeline says the same about his changeup, which is a good sign for the three-pitch lefty. There’s good athleticism here and a nice feel for pitching.
Here’s some video
4 (110): @Pirates select Troy HS (NY) LHP Michael Kennedy https://t.co/9smqbcE2um #MLBDraft
— MLB Draft Tracker (@MLBDraftTracker) July 18, 2022
