Brendan McKay was selected by the Tampa Bay Rays with the fourth overall pick in the 2017 MLB amateur draft out of the University of Louisville. At the time he signed for a record $7,007,500 bonus that was the highest for any player drafted under the capped pool system.
McKay was winner of the John Olerud Award for three consecutive years as college baseball’s best two way player and won the Golden Spikes Award his junior year as the best amateur player in the United States.
Thanks to McKay’s standout skills he was a top ten pick as both a pitcher and as a first baseman.