Michael McKenry is subsequent up in our MLB Participant Chat sequence! Michael was drafted by the Rockies as a catcher within the seventh spherical again in 2006 out of Center Tennessee State College, after starring at Farragut Excessive College in Knoxville.
4 years later, McKenry made his MLB debut with the Rockies. Not lengthy after, the Rockies traded him to the Crimson Sox for Daniel Turpen. The Crimson Sox flipped McKenry to the Pirates just a few months later.
As a rookie in 2011, McKenry led the Pirates in innings caught, pairing with Ryan Doumit. He cut up duties the next 12 months with Rod Barajas, after which labored behind Russell Martin on the 2013 Pirates.
McKenry had a two-home run recreation in 2013, victimizing the Reds’ Mat Latos and Jonathan Broxton in an April win at PNC Park. A couple of months later McKenry had a four-hit recreation at Marlins Park. That Bucs group received 94 video games, ended the franchise’s 20-year shedding streak, and emerged victorious within the Wild Card recreation towards Johnny Cueto and the Reds.
The 2013 season was minimize brief for McKenry by a knee harm, and the Pirates non-tendered him in December. He inked a minor league deal to return to the Rockies and function Wilin Rosario’s backup in 2014. In 192 plate appearances that 12 months, McKenry batted a sturdy .315/.398/.512 – one of many best batting strains featured by a catcher.
McKenry completed his MLB profession with the Cardinals, snagging a pair final MLB plate appearances in 2016. He additionally frolicked within the Crimson Sox, Braves, Rangers, Brewers, and Rays organizations. McKenry’s MLB profession wrapped up with greater than 2,000 innings behind the dish. He paired up with Pirates standout pitchers akin to Gerrit Cole, Francisco Liriano, Charlie Morton, and A.J. Burnett.
McKenry hit 29 residence runs in his 953 profession plate appearances, together with pictures off Johan Santana and Jonathan Papelbon. He additionally had the pleasure of hitting a walkoff residence run within the backside of the eleventh off the Mariners’ Mayckol Guaipe for the Rockies in 2015. That very same 12 months, McKenry nabbed his lone profession stolen base off Derek Norris. The person nicknamed “The Fort” managed a high-quality wRC+ of 109 on the plate again in 2012, plus a superb 140 mark in 2014.
At present at age 37, Michael serves as a pregame, postgame, and colour analyst for the Pirates, in addition to a speaker, mentor, and advisor. You may observe him on Twitter @theFortMcKenry. McKenry volunteered to talk with MLBTR readers at present at 10am central time; click on right here to affix in!
