PROVIDENCE, R.I. – UConn lefthanded pitcher Anthony Kay, the 2016 American Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Year, was chosen by the New York Mets in the first round of the 2016 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft.
Kay was taken with the 31st overall pick, marking the second straight year that the American Athletic Conference has produced a first-round draft selection. Outfielder Ian Happ of Cincinnati was chosen by the Chicago Cubs with the ninth pick in the 2015 draft.
Kay, who was named The American's Preseason Pitcher of the Year, lived up to his billing in 2016 as he went 9-2 with a 2.