Pitcher? Hitter? Both? MLB draft marked by 2-way players - MLB

NEW YORK (AP) Brendan McKay’s fastball-firing left arm has made him the possible No. 1 overall pick in the Major League Baseball draft.

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

The Cardinals star is one of college baseball’s greatest two-way players, a rare talent who has given big league ballclubs a tough 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 Minnesota 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, though, a team might be willing to find out. He won his third straight John Olerud Two-Way Player award on Monday after hitting .343 with 17 home runs and 56 RBIs for the College World Series-bound Cardinals. He’s also 10-3 with a 2.34 ERA on the mound.

Two-way players in high school and college aren’t uncommon in the draft, with Olerud, Dave Winfield, Ken Brett, Jason Jennings and A.J. Reed among the big names whom major league teams had to make a call on. But this year’s draft class has a handful expected to be selected early.

In addition to McKay, California high school shortstop and right-handed pitcher Hunter Greene has piqued lots of interest from teams 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 Atlanta 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 high school outfielder Jordon Adell, Texas high school right-hander Shane Baz and Virginia outfielder Adam Haseley are others who have pulled double-duty on the diamond and are expected 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 Tampa Bay 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 other things to know about the draft:

WHEN? WHERE?: Starts Monday at 7 p.m. EDT and continues for 40 rounds over three days, with the first two rounds at MLB Network’s studios in Secaucus, New Jersey. Rounds 3-10 will be held Tuesday, and rounds 11-40 Wednesday – both days via team conference calls. Teams pick in reverse order of finish from the overall standings from last season.

FIRST PICK: The Twins have the No. 1 overall pick for the third time, and first since taking Minnesota high school catcher Joe Mauer in 2001.

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

SHOWING UP: Four top prospects are expected to be at the draft site, where they’ll shake hands with MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred and slip on their new team’s cap and jersey: Greene, Adell, New Mexico high school left-hander Trevor Rogers and Alabama high school outfielder Bubba Thompson.

WHO ELSE IS THERE?: Each of baseball’s 30 teams has a former player and/or current member of its front office representing them at the draft. Among those scheduled to attend are Hall of Famer George Brett (Kansas City Royals), 1973 NL Rookie of the Year Gary Matthews (Philadelphia Phillies), 1976 NL Cy Young winner Randy Jones (San Diego Padres), 1983 AL Rookie of the Year Ron Kittle (Chicago White Sox) and former All-Stars such as Bob Boone (Washington Nationals) and Ron Cey (Los Angeles Dodgers). Lloyd Moseby, the No. 2 overall pick by the Toronto Blue Jays in 1978, and Jeffrey Hammonds, No. 4 overall in 1992 by the Baltimore Orioles, are also expected to be there.

EARLY ACTION: Toronto (22nd and 28th), the Texas Rangers (26th and 29th) and the Chicago Cubs (27th and 30th) each have two first-round selections, including compensatory picks. Houston and Pittsburgh both have four picks in the first 75 selections. For the Pirates, that includes No. 42 overall, which they received after failing to come to terms with lefty Nick Lodolo, the No. 41 pick who chose to attend Texas Christian instead of signing.

QUIET CARDINALS: St. Louis won’t pick until the third round on Tuesday. The Cardinals had to give their first-round selection to the Cubs for signing free agent Dexter Fowler, and forfeited their next two picks (Nos. 56 and 75) – along with $2 million – to Houston after MLB completed its investigation into a data breach of the Astros’ baseball operations database by a former St. Louis employee.

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AP Sports Writers Jon Krawczynski and Charles Odum, and AP Freelance Writer Mark Didtler contributed to this report.

CARSON CITY, Nev. — A bill introduced in the Nevada Legislature would give the Oakland Athletics up to $380 million for a potential 30,000 seat, $1.5 billion retractable roof stadium on the Las Vegas Strip.

The bulk of the public funding would come from $180 million in transferable tax credits from the state and $120 million in county bonds, which can vary based on interest rate returns. Clark County also would contribute $25 million in credit toward infrastructure costs.

The A’s have been looking for a home to replace Oakland Coliseum, where the team has played since arriving from Kansas City for the 1968 season. The team had sought to build a stadium in Fremont, San Jose and finally the Oakland waterfront, all ideas that never materialized.

The plan in the Nevada Legislature won’t directly raise taxes. It can move forward with a simply majority vote in the Senate and Assembly. Lawmakers have a little more than a week to consider the proposal before they adjourn June 5, though it could be voted on if a special session is called.

The Athletics have agreed to use land on the southern end of the Las Vegas Strip, where the Tropicana Las Vegas casino resort sits. Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao has said he is disappointed the team didn’t negotiate with Oakland as a “true partner.”

Las Vegas would be the fourth home for a franchise that started as the Philadelphia Athletics from 1901-54. It would become the smallest TV market in Major League Baseball and the smallest market to be home to three major professional sports franchises.

The team and Las Vegas are hoping to draw from the nearly 40 million tourists who visit the city annually to help fill the stadium. The 30,000-seat capacity would make it the smallest MLB stadium.

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said a vote on the Oakland Athletics’ prospective move to Las Vegas could take place when owners meet June 13-15 in New York.

The plan faces an uncertain path in the Nevada Legislature. Democratic leaders said financing bills, including for the A’s, may not go through if Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo vetoes the five budget bills, which he has threatened to do as many of his priorities have stalled or faded in the Democratic-controlled Legislature.

Under the bill, the Clark County Board of Commissioners would create a homelessness prevention and assistance fund along the stadium’s area in coordination with MLB and the Nevada Resort Association. There, they would manage funds for services, including emergency rental and utility assistance, job training, rehabilitation and counseling services for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness.

The lease agreement with the Las Vegas Stadium Authority would be up for renewal after 30 years.

Nevada’s legislative leadership is reviewing the proposal, Democratic state Assembly Speaker Steve Yeager said in a statement.

“No commitment will be made until we have both evaluated the official proposal and received input from interested parties, including impacted community members,” Yeager said.