Two-Way Players Lead This Year’s 2017 MLB Draft

NEW YORK (AP) — Brendan McKay’s fastball-terminating left arm has made him the conceivable No. 1 general pick in the Major League Baseball draft.

Thing is, so has the Louisville slugger’s bat.

The Cardinals star would one say one is of school baseball’s most prominent two-way players, an uncommon ability who has given major group ballclubs an extreme question to consider: Do they take McKay as a pitcher, hitter — or both?

“That remains to be seen, whether or not someone can do that,” said Twins chief baseball officer Derek Falvey, whose team picks first in the draft that starts Monday night. “I’m not necessarily saying it’s impossible, but the amount of time, if you talk to any of these guys, that they put in on either the hitting side or the pitching side, to double that, no one’s figured out a way to make more than 24 hours in a day.

“If someone figures that out, maybe we’ll have an opportunity, but it’s a challenge.”

With McKay, however, a group may discover. He’s a two-time champ of the John Olerud Two-Way Player grant and is the most loved to win it again this year subsequent to hitting .343 with 17 homers and 56 RBIs for the College World Series-bound Cardinals. He’s additionally 10-3 with a 2.34 ERA on the hill.

Two-path players in secondary school and school aren’t extraordinary in the draft, with Olerud, Dave Winfield, Ken Brett, Jason Jennings and A.J. Reed among those huge names who significant alliance groups needed to make an approach. Be that as it may, the current year’s draft class has a modest bunch anticipated that would be chosen early.

Notwithstanding McKay, California secondary school shortstop and right-gave pitcher Hunter Greene has aroused bunches of enthusiasm from groups picking early, including the Twins.

“There are a lot of two-way players in every draft, but for 2017, a number of first-round talents have significant experience as two-way players,” said Braves general manager John Coppolella, whose team picks No. 5 overall. “There may come a day where there is a true impact two-way player, but until that day, you just choose one outcome and know the other possibility looms if failure occurs.”

Kentucky secondary school outfielder Jordon Adell, Texas secondary school right-hander Shane Baz and Virginia outfielder Adam Haseley are other people who have pulled twofold obligation on the precious stone and are required to be first-rounders.

“The talents of the players and how things play out, you try to be as open-minded as you can,” said Rays GM Erik Neander, whose team picks fourth overall. “I think the history of the professional game and what it looks like, we’re certainly cognizant of the perspective of going one direction or the other. But it’s quite an accomplishment to do it at the collegiate level.”

Here are some different things to think about the draft:

At the point when? WHERE?: Starts Monday at 7 p.m. EDT and proceeds for 40 adjusts more than three days, with the initial two rounds at MLB Network’s studios in Secaucus. Rounds 3-10 will be held Tuesday, and rounds 11-40 Wednesday — both days by means of group telephone calls. Groups pick backward request of complete from the general standings from last season.

To start with PICK: The Twins have the No. 1 general pick for the third time, and first since taking Minnesota secondary school catcher Joe Mauer in 2001.

Different NAMES TO KNOW: Vanderbilt right-hander Kyle Wright, North Carolina secondary school lefty MacKenzie Gore, California secondary school shortstop/outfielder Royce Lewis and North Carolina secondary school outfielder Austin Beck.

Appearing: Four top prospects are relied upon to be at the draft site, where they’ll shake hands with MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred and slip on their new group’s top and shirt: Greene, Adell, New Mexico secondary school left-hander Trevor Rogers and Alabama secondary school outfielder Bubba Thompson.

WHO ELSE IS THERE?: Each of baseball’s 30 groups has a previous player or potentially current individual from its front office speaking to them at the draft. Among those planned to go to are Hall of Famer George Brett (Royals), 1973 NL Rookie of the Year Gary Matthews (Phillies), 1976 NL Cy Young victor Randy Jones (Padres), 1983 AL Rookie of the Year Ron Kittle (White Sox) and previous All-Stars, for example, Bob Boone (Nationals) and Ron Cey (Dodgers). Lloyd Moseby, the No. 2 general pick by Toronto in 1978, and Jeffrey Hammonds, No. 4 by and large in 1992 by the Orioles, are likewise anticipated that would be there.

EARLY ACTION: Toronto (22nd and 28th), Texas (26th and 29th) and the Chicago Cubs (27th and 30th) each have two first-round determinations, including compensatory picks. Houston and Pittsburgh both have four picks in the initial 75 choices. For the Pirates, that incorporates No. 42 in general, which they got in the wake of neglecting to deal with lefty Nick Lodolo, the No. 41 pick who went to Texas Christian as opposed to marking.

Calm CARDINALS: St. Louis won’t pick until the third round on Tuesday. The Cardinals needed to give their first-round choice to the Cubs for marking free specialist Dexter Fowler, and relinquished their next two picks (Nos. 56 and 75) — alongside $2 million — to Houston after MLB finished its examination concerning an information rupture of the Astros’ baseball operations database by a previous St. Louis worker.

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