Now, with Jarred Cosart gone to the Houston organization in the trade that brought Hunter Pence to the Phillies, it could be argued that May is the top pitching prospect in the organization.
"He is definitely one of them," Phillies assistant general manager Chuck LaMar said.
Time will tell how much that means, but LaMar was encouraged with how May recovered from his difficult first month. Since going 1-2 with a 5.57 ERA in four April starts, May is 9-6 with a 3.11 ERA. His most impressive numbers are hits allowed (111 in 1431/3 innings) and strikeouts (197).
"Over the last couple of years, he has shown outstanding physical ability," LaMar said. "He is a good worker and respects the game. But his first couple years of pro ball, he did not handle the adversity the way you have to. This year, he handled it. He could have fallen into those old habits and he didn't."
May, who will turn 22 next month, believes he matured mentally and physically in his fourth season of professional baseball.
"I believe this year as opposed to last year I made a lot of improvement mechanical-wise in being able to repeat things and also staying on a solid routine," May said. "You have to find a work ethic that works for you. I also felt like this year I was able to make strides in dealing with adversity.
"I was really able to settle down when I got in trouble. I think you can see that by the fact that I have pitched more innings in 25 starts this year than I did in 27 last year."
As much as he hated being demoted to Lakewood a year ago, May learned a lot from his second stint near the Jersey Shore.
