Brendan McKay: Prospect Profile, MLB Comparison for Rays' 1st-Round Pick

Player: Brendan McKay

Position: 1B/LHP

DOB: Dec. 18, 1995 (21 years old)

Height/Weight: 6'2", 212 lbs

Bats/Throws: L/L

School: Louisville

Previously Drafted: 2014 (34th round, San Diego Padres)

Background

It speaks volumes to his abilities as a two-way player that the industry is still not 100 percent sure where Brendan McKay will play once he starts his pro career.

On the mound, he's far and away the best left-handed pitcher among this year's college crop.

In his three seasons at Louisville, he's gone 31-10 with a 2.15 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 385 strikeouts in 310 innings.

That includes a brilliant junior campaign that's seen him go 10-3 with a 2.34 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 140 strikeouts in 104 innings while helping lead the Cardinals to a College World Series.

He's also made marked improvements in his strikeout rate (10.5 to 12.1 K/9) and walk rate (3.5 to 2.9 BB/9) to emerge as a legitimate elite-level college arm.

He's arguably been an even bigger weapon at the plate, however, manning first base on the days he doesn't pitch.

His .343/.464/.657 line in 2017 includes 13 doubles, 17 home runs and 56 RBI, and he's recorded more walks (45) than strikeouts (36).

McKay has always had a standout hit tool and an advanced approach, but his uptick in power—he hit just 10 home runs over his first two years on campus—gives him a strong case to be the top all-around hitter in this year's college class as well.

Pick Analysis

With all due respect to recent two-way standouts such as A.J. Reed, Brian Johnson and Micah Owings, no one has excelled on both sides of the ball the way McKay has since John Olerud's standout campaign at Washington State in 1988.

MLB.com broke down McKay's polished skill set on the mound:

"McKay usually opens games on the mound by working with a 90-94 mph fastball that loses a couple ticks of velocity by the middle innings. He could add more velo and maintain it better if he focused on pitching full-time, and his fastball command is so good that his heater is effective in the upper 80s. McKay's curveball is a consistent plus pitch, and he's working on refining a changeup that he hasn't needed much to this point in his career."

And his offensive prowess:

"McKay's smooth left-handed swing and mature all-fields approach helped him lead the U.S. college national team in hitting (.326) and on-base percentage (.434) last summer. Some evaluators consider him the best college bat in the draft, and he's hitting for more power this year, showing the upside of a .300 hitter with 20 homers per season."

Baseball America wrapped it all up nicely:

"He could be a middle-of-the-order hitter or No. 3 starter, the latter in short order. ... McKay is a true top-10 pick either way, a testament to his baseball athleticism and IQ and overall feel for the game."

It remains to be seen whether he'll be given a chance to continue as a two-way weapon once his pro career begins, but he comes with a built-in fallback plan that few other prospects boast.

MLB Player Comparison: John Olerud

Gary Stewart/Associated Press

Olerud put together a collegiate season for the ages as a sophomore in 1988.

He hit .464/.558/.876 with 21 doubles, 23 home runs and 81 RBI as a first baseman and went 15-0 with a 2.49 ERA and 113 strikeouts in 122.2 innings.

That makes him an easy comparison for McKay.

Their similarities go beyond their all-encompassing stat lines, though.

Olerud was a .295 career hitter in MLB who won the American League batting title in 1993 and possessed a stellar hit tool, but he never had prototypical power for a first baseman, topping out at 24 home runs during his 17-year career.

On the mound, McKay's supreme fastball command and middling velocity give him a profile similar to guys like Cliff Lee and Mark Buehrle—though he'll need to further develop his changeup alongside his plus curveball to make them more realistic comparisons.

Olerud also jumped straight from college to the majors, skipping the minors.

While it's unlikely McKay will make quite that big a leap, he should move as quickly as anyone in the class, regardless of which route he takes positionally.

Projection: No. 2/3 starter who takes more batting practice than any other pitcher in the minors.

Major League ETA: early 2020

Chance of Signing: 99 percent

McKay was one of the superstars of college baseball this year, and with his polished overall game, he doesn't have much left to prove. No reason not to get the ball rolling on his pro career.

College statistics courtesy of The Baseball Cube unless otherwise noted and accurate through Sunday, June 11.