Renegades' McKay showcases arm

Competing as a pitcher and position player is anything but rare in amateur baseball. Brendan McKay has done it for years, culminating in a standout career as a first baseman and left-hander at the University of Louisville. 
The novelty of such a player garners considerably more attention in the Minors, which is why the 21-year-old's first game action as a pitcher was such a big deal.

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Toeing the rubber for the first time since June 18 when he was still in college, McKay struck out four and walked one in two hitless frames Sunday as Class A Short Season Hudson Valley walked off with a 1-0, 10-inning win over Staten Island at Dutchess Stadium.

The Rays' third-ranked prospect and three relievers allowed two hits -- none until the seventh -- while fanning 10, one night after the Renegades were no-hit by the Yankees. McKay played first base and designated hitter in his first 10 games as a pro, batting .222/.333/.333. He slugged his first Minor League homer on July 20 against Staten Island.
"It felt pretty good to be out there, but a little weird," the Pennsylvania native said. "Just getting back into the flow of things and facing batters, which is always different in a game situation. But overall, I was pleased with how it went. I was able to throw strikes and make some quality pitches."
Renegades pitching coach Brian Reith has the unusual task of working with a pitcher who will play in the field most of the time. But the 39-year-old likes what he's seen from McKay.

"Personally, this is a first for me," Reith said of coaching a pitcher who plays another position. "We're just trying to keep things close to what he's been doing since before college. It will be different with him playing in the field every day, but we're going to try and mesh the two roles together the best way we can. Being his first year and coming off a long [college] season, we'll err on the side of caution and let him get adjusted to pro ball, first and foremost."
McKay worked around a one-out walk in the first and notched his first career strikeout to end the frame. The southpaw struck out the side in the second, leaving after throwing 21 of 31 pitches for strikes.
"I was absolutely impressed tonight," Reith said. "He looked calm, confident and very relaxed on the mound and commanded his fastball pretty well. His secondary stuff was a little off, as expected, but he threw some good changeups down in the zone. He can spin [the curveball] pretty good and he has a nice fastball and a good changeup. His cutter is a work-in-progress, but it has potential.
"He's a very confident young man and very mature. His demeanor is what really stands out to me and he has a knowledge of the game and a willingness to improve. He's just a great kid to be around."

Jhonleider Salinas took over for McKay and held the Yankees hitless through the sixth. Leonardo Molina broke up the no-hit bid with a leadoff single in the seventh, the only hit Salinas allowed along with a walk while striking out five in five innings. Jose Disla worked around a single in the eighth and Eduard Rosillo (1-2) walked one and struck out one in two hitless frames to pick up the win.
"It was great to see tonight," Reith said. "We put a lot of work in and it was nice to see them go out there and have some success. It's very rewarding on my end."
With his first starting assignment in the rearview mirror, McKay isn't sure what the plan is moving forward and he doesn't seem to care, as long as he's playing.
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"We've had some discussions about it, but nothing is set in stone," said McKay, who was drafted fourth overall last month. "I think it's going to be a week-to-week thing, like it was in college. I've been doing this so long that I know how to handle it and everything that goes along with it.
"I really have no preference at all. I just want to be able to play the game and have fun while I'm out there."
Vidal Brujan singled in the winning run after Hudson Valley loaded the bases with nobody out in the 10th.