Top New York pitcher, Michael Kennedy, looking to build off busy summer
Editor’s note: The Pittsburgh Pirates selected Michael Kennedy with the 110th overall pick in the 2022 MLB Draft.
TROY, N.Y. (BVM) – Michael Kennedy made the most of his high school summer, spending the majority of it traveling the country for baseball. With just a handful of days back at home, the senior pitcher wouldn’t pass up the experiences his summer presented him.
“You really have to love it to do it,” Kennedy said of his busy offseason schedule. “I think it was around like 12-15 nights where I was sleeping in my own bed…. It was definitely a different summer than someone going into their senior year. Like a lot of other kids my age are doing different things with their [time off] so it was a lot of sacrifice – but it’s what I was willing to do.”
Kennedy kicked off his schedule nearly as soon as his junior year wrapped up. The day after his school year came to an end, Kennedy made the trip down to Florida to take part in a Perfect Game event. The busy circuit created a whirlwind past couple of months, but the Troy pitcher enjoyed it.
With a jump up in competition, Kennedy was able to face some of the best players around the country. In August and September, the 6-foot-1 southpaw got his opportunity to play for Team USA after hearing his name called on selection day. The chance to play with some of the top players his age was a bright spot, specifically for someone coming out of the northeast.
With the USA experience providing him a lot on the baseball front, his highlight from the period came when he got to hear from former pitchers Brad Penny and LaTroy Hawkins.
“Those guys all had a lot of great stories, a lot of great experiences that they were able to share with us that set us down a path of what to follow to get to our dreams,” Kennedy said. “All of our dreams are to play in the Major Leagues, win World Series’, and get to the Hall of Fame. But, how do you do it? It was a lot of learning. Like always, I see every opportunity and event that happens, good and bad, as a way to learn from it.”
Kennedy looks to apply all that he’s learned with his senior season kicking off. With many players chasing “testable numbers” when it comes to pitching velocities and spin rates, he believes his biggest takeaway on the mound will come with a focus on his mindset. Following growth periods during his early high school career, Kennedy has impressed with his development, adding on from his freshman season when he started with a 13.00 ERA and ended it topping the conference in strikeouts.
After leading Troy to its first section title in school history last season, Kennedy hopes he can continue to grow his hometown legacy as he takes the bump in his final year. The senior pitcher finished his junior campaign with a 7-0 record as he compiled 89 strikeouts and a 0.32 ERA.
With a chance to transfer down south this offseason, the New York native is prideful in returning, looking to secure his successes at home instead of taking opportunities elsewhere.
“I wanted to show you could have loyalty to your school, and the city that you live in and grew up in,” Kennedy said. “Our baseball program has been around for over 50-60 years and they’ve never won until last year, so a lot of growth [has happened for me].”
Where Kennedy’s final year takes him after is still up in the air. His only goal this season is to find more team success, believing his personal goals will end up falling in line with it. With that said, he admits there is a different feeling with an uptick of scouts in attendance for his games as the MLB draft approaches.
“If I am blessed with the opportunity [to get drafted], then I am,” Kennedy said. “It’s out of my control. Both situations are a win… I worked hard to get the LSU offer and go there as well, so they are both blessings.”
If Kennedy does end up following his initial route, he is more than ready to kick things off at LSU. The Troy ace committed to the Tigers’ program back in 2019 under head coach Paul Mainieri, but hasn’t hesitated in his commitment to new head coach Jay Johnson.
“If Coach Johnson was there [my] freshman year, I would have made the same decision,” Kennedy said. “I really fell in love with how [the coaches] all go about their business. I’m excited to see where that takes me as far as development.
“I know that each coach brings a different thing to the table. I’ve built a really good relationship with all the coaches… What I expect is to go there, develop into a better version of myself and if that’s how I’m going to get to the big leagues, then that’s what I need to do. It’s all about, for me, more about that end goal than how I get there.”
With the next few months to go over things, Kennedy is primed for another dominant season and after a successful junior season, he has high hopes for his final chapter.
“As selfless as it sounds, my only goal is to win a state championship,” Kennedy said.
