FORT MYERS, Fla. -- When the Blue Jays acquired Anthony Kay from the Mets just ahead of the 2019 Trade Deadline -- alongside fellow prospect Simeon Woods Richardson in exchange for Marcus Stroman -- the 24-year-old left-hander headed straight to Triple-A Buffalo.

Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo’s first look at Kay came in September, when he posted a 5.79 ERA over three appearances and 14 innings. The skipper was impressed by the abbreviated look at the young pitcher, loving Kay's aggressive pitching style to go with a mid-90s fastball, and an ability to attack hitters on the inside part of the plate. Montoyo is hoping it continues this spring.

Though the rotation became a lot more crowded during the offseason when the Blue Jays added Hyun-Jin Ryu, Tanner Roark and Chase Anderson to a staff that hopes to boast a healthy Matt Shoemaker, a strong Spring Training could potentially put Kay in contention to join the back end of the starting five.

“He’s a left-hander who throws strikes and is not afraid to pitch inside. The upside is pretty good,” Montoyo said. “He’s part of the future for sure, and he’s competing for the fifth spot, too. He really is.”

After his two-inning Spring Training debut in a 5-5 tie against the Twins on Sunday at CenturyLink Sports Complex, Kay came away happy with the way he was able to locate his fastball, as well as a renewed sense of focus on his offspeed command.

“His fastball had good life, but his offspeed wasn’t sharp,” Montoyo said. “He paid the price a little bit for that, but I do like the life he had on his fastball today.”

Kay, a native of Stony Brook, N.Y., found difficulty in getting his offspeed pitches to land for strikes because he was falling off the mound toward third base instead of staying on-line in his delivery. He allowed two runs on three hits over two innings with no walks and a pair of strikeouts.

“The No. 1 thing [pitching coach Pete Walker and bullpen coach Matt Buschmann] wanted me to do was stay directional toward home and work straight to home,” Kay said. “If I do that, that will help with the offspeed and everything. ... It’s something I get into a bad habit with, and it’s pretty easy to fix.”

Waguespack celebrates Mardi Gras
On Saturday night, the City of Dunedin hosted its 29th annual Mardi Gras Parade and Festival, an occasion that right-hander and Louisiana native Jacob Waguespack had been looking forward to as he looked ahead to Spring Training.

The 26-year-old asked the organization if he could take part in the event, and he joined Toronto’s mascot and staff atop its float, throwing beads -- left-handed, he noted -- to fans along the route that started at TD Ballpark.

“Parades in Louisiana are awesome,” Waguespack said. “Those are my roots. I saw they had a float last year and I was with some family then, so I didn’t ask to get on, but I told them this year I wanted on the Mardi Gras float. ... With the stadium [construction] going on, we didn’t actually have a float, we rode in the back of a truck, which made it more Louisiana, so I loved it.

“It’s a cool experience getting everybody together and going crazy asking for plastic beads. It doesn’t get any better than that.”

Waguespack also made his spring debut on Sunday against the Twins -- a scoreless third inning with one walk and two strikeouts.

“He was good today,” Montoyo said. “For some reason, they don’t see the ball coming out of his [hand, because of] the slot or whatever it is. It seems like his 92 is harder than that. Sneaky.”

Added Waguespack: “Today felt good. I felt like I was throwing beads out there.”

Hatch makes strong first impression
Sunday was also Montoyo’s first opportunity to see Thomas Hatch in game action after the righty was acquired for David Phelps ahead of the Trade Deadline and finished last season at Double-A New Hampshire. The 25-year-old made his mark in his debut inning, setting down the side in order and striking out two.

“He was impressive,” Montoyo said. “That’s a good arm. He’s one of the reasons I like this camp so far – arms like that. He looked really good. … I saw him in the bullpen the other day and live today. It makes me happy to see an arm like that.”

Up next
After two road games to start their spring slate, the Blue Jays will host the Braves at the newly-renovated TD Ballpark at 1:07 p.m. ET on Monday. Japanese hurler Shun Yamaguchi will make his first Grapefruit League appearance as the 32-year-old right-hander starts his bid for a spot in the rotation. Listen live to a free webcast.