One name UofL Baseball Coach Dan McDonnell keeping a close eye on during the recent Major League Baseball draft was that of of Brendan McKay, a 6-foot-1, 220-pound left-handed pitcher from Beaver Falls, Penn.
McDonnell kept waiting and waiting and waiting … and should be rewarded for his patience with a strong addition to the University of Louisville pitching staff next season.
Expected to be picked in one of the top five rounds, McKay’s name wasn’t called until the 38th round by the San Diego Padres. The late selection wasn’t because several teams didn’t want him. They just didn’t want to pay the family’s asking price in the high six figures.
According to a recent story in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:
McKay’s draft story had some twists and turns. His family and an advisor let teams know before the draft that his price tag to sign would be high. They figured it would take a lot to pull him away from playing next year at the University of Louisville. At one point last Friday somewhere between rounds seven and 10, the Boston Red Sox called McKay while he was at graduation ceremonies and wanted to know if his “price tag” was still the same. McKay said yes and the Red Sox bypassed him.
When asked if the family would change their strategy if they could do the draft over again, McKay’s father, Bruce, said, “Probably not. We are thinking that everything works out for a reason. We took a shot. We said this is what it is going to take for him to forgo Louisville. It had to be a substantial amount for Brendan not to go to Louisville.”
McKay, had a 69-inning scoreless streak, third longest and only 11 innings away from the national record. He held West Allegheny scoreless until two outs in the third before being tapped for two runs. He team lost the Class AAA championship game, 5-3.
His scoreless inning streak had lasted almost 713 innings, a streak that goes back to the 2013 season. He finished his high school career with a 30-2 won-lost record.