Kirk McCarty Stats & Scouting Report

Full name Kirkland McCarty
Born 10/12/1995 in Hattiesburg, MS
Profile Ht.: 5'8" / Wt.: 185 / Bats: L / Throws: L
School Southern Mississippi
Debut 04/24/2022
Drafted in the 7th round (222nd overall) by the Cleveland Guardians in 2017 (signed for $250,000).

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McCarty and third baseman/righthander Taylor Braley teamed at Oak Grove High in Hattiesburg, Miss., winning a pair of state titles before moving on to Southern Mississippi. Together, they helped lead the Golden Eagles to this season's Conference USA regular-season title and a regional host spot. Owner of a 22-4 career record, McCarty is smallish (5-foot-10, 185 pounds) but commands a fringy 88-91 mph fastball to both sides of the plate. His calling card is his ability to spin a tight breaking ball, an above-average curve that he can throw for strikes or get hitters to chase for strikeouts. He also spots an average changeup and had a solid, short Cape Cod League stint, getting him in front of national evaluators.

Top Rankings

Track Record: McCarty had a prolific high school career and went on to have a strong career at Southern Mississippi. The Indians drafted him in the seventh round in 2017. He had a breakout 2018 and led all Indians minor leaguers with 161 strikeouts.

Scouting Report: At a listed 5-foot-10, 180 pounds, McCarty isn't imposing on the mound and was viewed more as a pitchability lefty coming out of college. The Indians helped him boost his fastball from the upper 80s into the low 90s with riding life by encouraging him to pitch more off his four-seamer. He has a refined four-pitch arsenal with a bigger curveball, a tight slider and a changeup that he disguises well. His secondary offerings are all solid and they play well off each other. He has above-average control and does a good job throwing his fastball to both sides of the plate.

The Future: McCarty has taken a step forward and opened some eyes with his performance in 2018. He'll face a challenge when he advances to Double-A Akron, but he has all the tools to be a solid back-of-the-rotation starter.

McCarty and third baseman/righthander Taylor Braley teamed at Oak Grove High in Hattiesburg, Miss., winning a pair of state titles before moving on to Southern Mississippi. Together, they helped lead the Golden Eagles to this season's Conference USA regular-season title and a regional host spot. Owner of a 22-4 career record, McCarty is smallish (5-foot-10, 185 pounds) but commands a fringy 88-91 mph fastball to both sides of the plate. His calling card is his ability to spin a tight breaking ball, an above-average curve that he can throw for strikes or get hitters to chase for strikeouts. He also spots an average changeup and had a solid, short Cape Cod League stint, getting him in front of national evaluators.