'You can't move in that moment': Louisville's McKay, Ellis reflect on MLB draft

Correction: A previous version of this story misspelled Jo Adell's name. It has been corrected.

Brendan McKay looked right at home sitting in a black leather chair in the familiar confines of the Louisville baseball meeting room in Jim Patterson Stadium on Monday night. So at home, in fact, that he barely flinched when his name was announced as the fourth overall pick of the MLB draft. 

With dozens of teammates and friends applauding and the MLB Network cameras on him, the junior paused and blinked a few times before standing to hug his parents.

Then again, anyone who knows McKay knew not to expect much more. 

“That’s how Brendan is about 24/7," said U of L outfielder Colin Lyman. "That’s his look. If you’ve ever seen him on the mound or at the plate he’s got that look on his face. But I asked him about it. I was like, ‘I thought you might crack a little smile when you got drafted or something,’ but we were talking and he said, ‘It’s that moment in your life where you know it’s possible ... but once it happens it’s kind of like wow this is actually real.’

"I think so many emotions hit him at once that he almost had no emotion.” 

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With his selection at No. 4 by the Tampa Bay Rays, McKay became the highest-drafted player in U of L history. The pitcher/first baseman said he turned down an offer to be picked first overall by the Minnesota Twins roughly 30 minutes before the draft began at 7 p.m. 

"We had felt that we could get a better offer later on," McKay said. "If a team obviously wanted to pick you at No. 1, I think they would have done it still. I mean, there's no hard feelings or anything. It's obviously the way the draft works — they get a certain amount of money to use throughout the draft so they want to not use a significant amount early on." 

When he did receive word that he would be going to the Rays, McKay told no one except U of L catcher Colby Fitch, who was sitting next to him at the watch party. 

"Just that moment when you finally see the pick come in and you hear your name called, it's kind of a relief and you can't move in that moment," McKay said. "You're just sitting there like, 'Wow, it finally happened.' And then you get that emotion." 

Despite some initial confusion after McKay was announced as a first baseman pick, the dual threat said the Rays assured him afterward that he would be given the chance to pitch and hit. 

U of L third baseman Drew Ellis described being picked in the second round at No. 44 overall by the Arizona Diamondbacks as a "surreal feeling." 

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Ellis, who hit three home runs in two super regional games against Kentucky the previous weekend, is much the opposite of McKay on the field in terms of emotional expression. The infielder ignited a social media firestorm with his home run celebrations and said he has no plans to change his playing style in the big leagues. 

“Obviously at the next level it’s going to be a job, but you can’t treat it like that," he said. "You’ve got to treat it with passion and energy and you’ve got to have fun and you’ve got to be a kid.”

The draft was such a big deal for Ellis that he temporarily broke his postseason Twitter strike Monday night to send his thanks to the Diamondbacks organization. 

U of L signee Jordon Adell of Ballard High School was also drafted, going No. 10 overall to the Los Angeles Angels. U of L coach Dan McDonnell said he texted back and forth with Adell on Monday night but said he hasn't received final word on whether Adell will go to college or sign with the Angels. 

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"Ultimately he’s going to do what he and his family think are best for him," McDonnell said. "He knows we love him, we’d love to have him here. He knows he would love being here. That’s the tough part, is he would love this experience. He wants to be here, his family wants him to be here, but I guess at this time you can’t do both." 

Pitcher Lincoln Henzman (4th Round, Pick No. 117, Chicago White Sox), shortstop Devin Hairston (6th Round, No. 174, Milwaukee Brewers) and pitcher Kade McClure (6th Round, No. 177, Chicago White Sox) were selected Tuesday, joining McKay and Ellis as Cardinals draft selections.

All in all, it's shaping up to be a busy week for the Cards as they balance the excitement of the draft with preparing for the upcoming College World Series. 

"They've got to be able to handle some of the distractions and the curveballs," McDonnell said. "We say it all the time: the curveballs of life, we eat obstacles for breakfast. If you want to look at this as an obstacle, then it is what it is and hopefully they have the right mindset to attack it." 

For McKay, who may soon be throwing curveballs for a living, it's hard to imagine life without the distractions of interviews and daily practices. Omaha will be a welcome retreat back to simplicity, where the only thing to worry about it just playing baseball. 

"In my mind," he said, "once we practice on Thursday here and board that plane to go, I think your mind's going to be fully clear and just ready to play at that moment." 

Reporter Danielle Lerner can be reached at dlerner@courier-journal.com or 502-582-4042. 

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