Connor McKay finally gets his break with Spokane Indians

Every success during the last four years seemed to greet Connor McKay with another closed door.

Believe him when he claims that he’s excited and relieved to spend the summer as a member of the Spokane Indians.

“I’ve kind of come to terms with (setbacks),” McKay said. “It’s one of those things that you can’t dwell on. I’m thankful to be here. If I’m not here, I’d be dwelling on it. But at this point, I have my chance.”

Once regarded as a sure-fire high draft pick out of high school, McKay gladly signed a free-agent contract with the Texas Rangers last month after being passed over in Major League Baseball’s draft.

McKay was on his way to play for the Gateway (Sauget, Illinois) Grizzlies of the independent Frontier League when he received the Rangers’ offer. Within hours, he made his way to Spokane by car and plane.

Five summers ago, McKay’s baseball future appeared limitless after he played in the Under Armour All-American Game at Wrigley Field in Chicago. McKay said he began his senior year at Regis Jesuit (Aurora, Colorado) High with the understanding that he would be selected during the first three rounds of 2011 draft.

Everything changed when McKay, a wide receiver, tore his anterior cruciate ligament while playing in a state football championship game in December 2010. McKay missed most of his senior baseball season and dropped to a 24th-round selection of the hometown Rockies, convincing him to play college ball instead.

The problem was, McKay had decommitted on a chance to play football and baseball at the University of Oregon, wanting to avoid any more football injuries that would ruin his shot at pursuing his favorite sport. Scrambling for a place to play, he received an offer from Kansas University coach Ritch Price.

“That was one of the only baseball offers I’d gotten after the ACL,” McKay said. “I’d had my select choice beforehand. It’s funny how an injury will change that. But (Price) gave me a chance to be a Jayhawk and I thank him to this day for it.”

After two decent seasons with Kansas, McKay was asked to improve his stock for the 2014 draft by hitting for power. He responded with nine home runs, 10 doubles and 45 runs batted in, but he wasn’t drafted.

“So it kind of put a chip on my shoulder for my senior year,” McKay said. “Some of the things I’d heard were, ‘Oh, you didn’t hit for a high enough average (.259) and your strikeout rate was too high.’ And I can fix that.”

This season, as a senior, McKay earned first-team, All-Big 12 Conference honors by batting .346 with 22 doubles and 30 extra-base hits, leading the conference in slugging percentage (.535). Again, he wasn’t drafted.

“Being in a power conference with the numbers I put up, and doing what they’d asked me to do and beyond that, I felt at least I would get a chance,” he said.

Determined to face live pitching rather than batting practice, McKay joined 100 hopefuls in trying out for two spots with Gateway. He earned a roster spot, but happily turned it over when Texas ended his years of frustration by signing him to play in Spokane.

In 12 games with the Indians, McKay is batting .255 (12 for 47) with five-extra base hits. He had his first professional hit and home run during his Spokane debut on June 22.

Indians manager Tim Hulett said he wants the right-handed McKay to focus on hitting the ball up the middle instead of being a pull hitter.

“He has a lot of lightning in his bat,” Hulett said. “I mean, the ball jumps off his bat. So he brings a lot to the table for us.”

McKay, an outfielder, has played half his games with the Indians at first base.

“He really doesn’t have a lot of experience at first base, so he’s really just getting his feet wet over there,” Hulett said. “He still does some mechanical things wrong around the bag, but each game he plays over there he’s feeling more comfortable.”