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Today, the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) has announced that Brendan McKay, the Tampa Bay Rays first round selection and 4th overall pick in the 2017 MLB Draft will be awarded the Dick Howser Trophy.
The award is given to the player that is determined to the be the top college baseball player of the year. Past winners include Kris Bryant, David Price, and Buster Posey as well as several other former all-star caliber major leaguers.
Louisville's Brendan McKay named 31st recipient of the prestigious Dick Howser Trophy awarded to the nation's top baseball player. #L1C4 pic.twitter.com/PZQzbTHNsX
— Louisville Baseball (@UofLBaseball) June 16, 2017
The Dick Howser Trophy is named after former major leaguer, Dick Howser, who passed away back in 1987 due to brain cancer. The award was established later that year and given to Mike Fiore.
The award just adds to McKay’s growing list of accolades as he already has received enough coveted plaques and trophies for a lifetime, such as being named the Collegiate Player of the Year by the NCAA. He is also a finalist for the Golden Spikes Award, which is given to the top amateur baseball player in the country.
McKay is stellar both as a pitcher and hitter and the Rays have said that they’ll allow him to pursue both ventures once he signs with the team.
The Rays and Brendan McKay still haven’t reached an agreement, but the two sides are progressing towards a deal which should net McKay a record amount for a drafted player.