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Brendan McKay became the highest draft pick in the history of Louisville baseball on Monday when he was selected fourth overall by the Tampa Bay Rays.
The Baseball America national Player of the Year reportedly had the option of being the No. 1, but wasn’t a big fan of what the Minnesota Twins were selling.
Brendan McKay passed on offer made to him by @Twins at 1. Look for Royce Lewis to go 1-1, guessing McKay goes 4 to Rays. @MLBDraft
— Jim Callis (@jimcallisMLB) June 12, 2017
The Twins did indeed wind up selecting high school shortstop Royce Lewis with the No. 1 overall pick. After the Cincinnati Reds selected Hunter Greene and the San Diego Padres selected Mackenzie Gore (both high school pitchers), the Rays jumped at the opportunity to bring McKay to Tampa.
Don’t get caught up in the fact that Brendan didn’t go No. 1. The man is about to McPaid. Not apologizing for it.
Though McKay went 4 rather than 1, don't be surprised if he lands highest bonus in @MLBDraft, beats K.Bryant's pool-era record of $6,708,400
— Jim Callis (@jimcallisMLB) June 12, 2017
One of the best two way players in the history of college baseball, McKay enters this week’s College World Series hitting .343 with 17 home runs and 56 runs driven in. He’s also the ace of the Cardinal pitching staff, owning a 10-3 record to go with a 2.34 ERA and 140 strikeouts.
Congratulations to Brendan. The best to ever do it in a Cardinal uniform and soon to be a star in The Show. Let’s win a national championship first.