2017 MLB Draft Profile: Brendan McKay, 1B/LHP, University of Louisville

Adding to our series of player profiles for the upcoming 2017 MLB Draft, let’s take another look at Brendan McKay, pitcher and first baseman for the University of Louisville.

THE BASICS

McKay is from Darlington, Pennsylvania and is listed at 6’2”, 220 lbs. He first came onto the Cardinal baseball scene as a pitcher, but he has progressed at the plate as well.

He should be selected as one of the top three picks in next week’s MLB Draft. Minnesota, Cincinnati and San Diego have the top three picks, and it is a near certainty that McKay will be taken by one of those three teams and if not, shortly thereafter.

Louisville head coach Dan McDonnell has been able to tap into McKay’s skillset as a hitter and pitcher the past few years. McKay won the John Olerud Award Two-Way Player of the Year Award in 2015 (as a freshman) and then again in 2016. He also locked up the ACC Player of the Year for 2017 as well as Collegiate Baseball newspaper’s National Player of the Year. And unsurprisingly, he is a finalist again this year for the John Olerud Award.

ON THE MOUND

The junior LHP led the Louisville pitching staff with a team high 97.1 IP. Going into the Super Regional this weekend, he has posted a 2.91 ERA and a .178 opponent BA. Combine that with 33 walks and 131 strikeouts, and it’s hard to ignore McKay’s potential on the mound.

In the postseason, he pitched Louisville to a win over Notre Dame in the ACC Tournament and Oklahoma in the second game of the Louisville Regional. McKay will lead his team into the Super Regional on Friday where the Cardinals will take on intra-state rival Kentucky. On Tuesday, McDonnell announced that McKay will start either Game One or Two in a best-of-three series against Kentucky, with the winner going to Omaha.

AT THE PLATE

While Japanese star Shohei Otani will gain the most attention from big league clubs when he posts, McKay’s story may be a little more intriguing. His patience at the plate – 45 walks – and a slash line of .356/.476/.683 would seem to be an absolute waste if he never steps in the batter’s box.

PITCHER OR EVERY DAY PLAYER?

So will McKay pitch or hit in the pros? Or will he – can he – do both?

On days he doesn’t pitch, McKay plays first base or is the DH for Louisville. The fact that minor league clubs use the DH more often (it is a constant in Rookie and Single-A leagues) helps his case to at least start off doing both after he is drafted.

Those closest to the Louisville baseball program have stated that they have always seen McKay more as a pitcher. But his numbers at the plate suggest that at the very least, he should be given a shot to hit as well. After all, on a minor league roster, would he really be a liability in the lineup on days he doesn’t pitch?

That’s something teams will have to determine, but McDonnell has made it work in perhaps the best baseball conference in the nation and has his team in the Super Regionals for the fifth straight season.

Then, this begs the question: which part of McKay’s game has the higher ceiling: hitting or pitching? The answer to that question may steer team executives in the direction they want to see his game progress through their system.