“It’s been a magical season in that way,” McKinney said in a recent interview. “So much more than I could have imagined. I only wish we’d won a few more games.”
Of course, the big question on everyone’s mind was how McKinney would respond to derogatory comments made recently by San Fernando right fielder Luis Maldonado. McKinney wasn’t really biting, though.
“Luis Maldonado is a great baseball player,” McKinney said. “I’m not sure why he felt the need to throw shade on my season, but I'm just a kid from Taylor (Michigan). I suppose I’ve got a lot to learn up here.”
On the whole, Maldonado and McKinney ended the season as the clear top two in right field, with Maldonado separating himself primarily with his legs, and maybe a shade with the glove. Offensively, the two were nearly identical—McKinney posting a better batting average and OBP, Maldonado edging the rookie by a slight margin in slugging. They went about it in different ways, however, Maldonado blasting the long ball more often and McKinney doing his damage via the extra base hit.
If the Silk is about hitting only, one can argue that if Maldonado is a Silk Candidate, then so is McKinney. But, of course, the Silk—like every award—is about more than pure lumber and numbers, and no one from this bumfuck town in Ohio is making that argument. Not about McKinney, and not about Maldonado.
“There are a lot of great hitters in this league,” McKinney said. “It’s hard to separate them all out sometimes. I’m just glad I don’t have to vote.”
