Former WPIAL stars Alex Kirilloff, Brendan McKay to start year in Double-A

Former WPIAL stars Alex Kirilloff and Brendan McKay, two of the top prospects in minor league baseball, will begin the 2019 season in the same league as they continue their path to the majors.

Kirilloff, a former Plum star and the Minnesota Twins’ 2016 first-round pick, was assigned Monday to the Twins’ Double-A affiliate, the Pensacola Blue Wahoos. McKay, a former Blackhawk and Louisville star and the Tampa Bay Rays’ 2017 first-round pick, was sent to the Rays’ Double-A affiliate, the Montgomery Biscuits. Both teams play in the Southern League.

McKay, drafted as a two-way hitting and pitching prospect, will pitch and play designated hitter this season.

The southpaw, ranked as the No. 47 prospect in the minors by Baseball America, split last season between the Rookie, low Class A and high Class A levels. He went 5-2 on the mound with a 2.41 ERA and 103 strikeouts in 78 1/3 innings and batted .214 with six home runs, 39 RBIs and a .368 on-base percentage.

The Twins announced Monday that Kirilloff will begin the season on the minor league Injured List with a wrist injury.

When he returns, Kirilloff will look to build on an impressive 2018 season that saw him earn a spot in the low Class A Midwest League’s All-Star Game and Home Run Derby. Kirilloff, who missed the 2017 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery on his elbow, spent 2018 in low Class A and high Class A, hitting a combined .348 with 20 homers and 101 RBIs. Baseball America ranked him as the No. 15 prospect in the minors.