NEW YORK (AP) — Grant McCray will get a chance to leave his mark on professional baseball — but he’ll have a tough time making one as dramatic as his famous father.
The Florida high school outfielder, drafted in the third round by San Francisco on Tuesday, is the son of former big league outfielder Rodney McCray.
Does the name ring a bell?
Well, the elder McCray became a staple of highlight and blooper reels everywhere — long before viral videos were even a thing — when he crashed through the right field wall while trying to make a catch during a minor league game in 1991.
Yep, that guy.
Rodney McCray was playing right field for the Triple-A Vancouver Canadians of the Pacific Coast League on May 27, 1991, when Portland’s Chip Hale hit a long fly ball. McCray tracked it down and made the catch, but ran right through the plywood fence at Civic Stadium — and dropped the ball.
McCray, who wasn’t seriously hurt, became a bit of a celebrity as the video of “The Crash” made its way onto TV sports broadcasts around the country. He played in 67 major league games with the White Sox and Mets, going 3 for 14 while stealing nine bases in 10 attempts.
The younger McCray, the No. 87 overall pick, hit .477 with 35 RBIs and 30 runs scored in 28 games for Lakewood Ranch High School.
He wasn’t the only player with famous bloodlines to be selected on the second day of the Major League Baseball draft.
California high school shortstop Glenallen Hill Jr., son of former slugger Glenallen Hill, was taken in the fourth round by Arizona.
Florida high school shortstop Christian Cairo, son of former infielder Miguel Cairo, was also a fourth-rounder.
Brock Bell, a right-hander from State College of Florida Manatee-Sarasota and the son of former All-Star shortstop Jay Bell, was Boston’s seventh-round selection.
The Red Sox took one of college baseball’s best pitchers in the fourth round, drafting Navy right-hander Noah Song. The 6-foot-4, 200-pound Song is the highest-drafted player in the school’s history after going 11-1 with a 1.44 ERA while being selected a finalist for the Golden Spikes Award as the nation’s top amateur player.
He might have been taken even higher, but Song has a required two-year military service obligation before he can begin his professional baseball career.
Baltimore led off the second day of the draft by taking LSU outfielder Zach Watson with the first pick of the third round at No. 79 overall.
The Orioles, who drafted Oregon State switch-hitting catcher Adley Rutschman at No. 1 overall Monday night, got another of college baseball’s top offensive players in the fourth round. New Mexico State shortstop Joey Ortiz was the 108th overall pick — highest in school history — after leading Division I players in hits (106) and runs scored (85) while also being ranked among the national leaders in batting average (.422) and RBIs (84).
Florida high school righty Matthew Allan was considered a possible first-rounder, but slid to the third round before the Mets took him 89th overall. The 6-foot-3, 225-pound Allan impressed scouts with his mid- to upper-90s fastball and command of three excellent pitches, but teams were wary of signability issues since he has a strong commitment to play at the University of Florida.
The three-day draft concludes Wednesday with rounds 11-40 held via conference calls with the big league teams.
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