The Journey That Brought Liam Mcgill From Columbia To The Atlanta Braves

Upper West Side NY

14 August, 2021

2:07 PM

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Columbia Daily Spectator BY MILES SCHACHNER AUGUST 13, 2021 On a cool summer day in South Kingstown, Rhode Island, Liam McGill, CC '20, was playing wiffle ball with his nephews in the yard of his family's home. When he looked down at his phone in the middle of the game, two missed notifications appeared on his home screen. He quickly realized he had missed a text and a call from a professional scout. The text message read: "Hey Liam, this is a scout with the Atlanta Braves. Can you give me a call?" When he called the number back, the scout told him there was potential the Braves would select him in the 10th round of the MLB Draft. He immediately gathered his family, who hurried into the house and crowded around the couch to anxiously watch the latest draft picks. As the ninth round progressed, a familiar name ran across the family's TV screen. "My dad was actually the first one to see it and was like, 'Oh my god, you just got drafted!'" McGill said. "It was a wild day, but I was just happy my family was there." With the 277th pick, the Atlanta Braves selected McGill, making him the highest draft pick out of Columbia since 2004 and the fourth-highest selection in University history. McGill was the highest a Lion has been selected since Fernando Perez, CC '05, who was taken in the seventh round in 2004 by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Word spread quickly. Head coach Brett Boretti was on a recruiting trip when Josh Simpson, CC '19, texted him with the news. Boretti hurriedly looked up the draft and saw McGill had been selected with the most recent pick. Ecstatic, he texted McGill right away, one of many congratulatory messages McGill would receive on draft day. While draft day was a triumph, it was never guaranteed for McGill. The catcher had experienced a number of peaks and valleys throughout his baseball career, and the selection was a culmination of a journey made even more uncertain by the COVID-19 pandemic. McGill first caught Boretti's eye at a fall recruiting camp. Already deep into the recruiting process for that season, dozens of hopefuls attended Boretti's camp, playing with aspirations to fill one of the last spots in a competitive incoming class. Prior to the camp, the coach had heard of a big, strong catcher from Rhode Island, the type of player that could round out a recruiting class's profile with his physical skills. It was more than just McGill's physical skills that stood out to Boretti. He loved the way the ball shot off of McGill's bat, and immediately recognized how athletic McGill was for his size—the 6′4″, 225-pound frame was one Boretti could already see being a presence in the middle of his batting order. But perhaps what stood out the most to Boretti was McGill's drive and work ethic. "In the camp's format, we work the guys out and then we play a game, and I just remember Liam being soaking wet with sweat, sitting next to him and talking to him a little bit and him being out of breath," Boretti recalled. "He just put everything he possibly could into it." That initial promise was almost immediately realized during McGill's first season. The rookie did anything he could to start getting consistent at-bats, filling in at first base and designated hitter whenever there was an opportunity. As soon as those opportunities started presenting themselves, McGill capitalized on them. Hitting .338/.461/.466 with four home runs his first season, he did more than just earn Boretti's trust—he was voted a Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-American and led all Ivy League rookies in batting average, only losing out on winning Ivy League Rookie of the Year to his teammate, Julian Bury. His play infused new life into a Columbia team that was hungry to add to its trophy collection, following its three-peat of Ivy League championships from 2013 to 2015. Though Boretti was confident in McGill's raw skills, his maturity as a hitter and ascension to success was somewhat of a welcome surprise. His success as a rookie also put the league on notice, as pitchers started to attack him more carefully following his dominant first year. "That first year, he definitely exceeded those expectations, and from then on, continued to build on that," Boretti said. "After you do that your freshman year, everyone knows about you. They're going to try to pitch around you. They'll be a lot more careful with you." After a breakout first-year campaign, McGill was set on bringing the Lions to new heights. Though the Light Blue had posted a winning record throughout conference play in 2017, it fell short in the Ivy League playoffs, losing 6-3 to the University of Pennsylvania. In 2018, the squad did not falter in the playoffs. The Lions swept Yale University over two games in New Haven to win the conference, earning the program's fourth title of the decade. That 2018 season is one of the best memories of McGill's career to this date, he said. "That was something special and something memorable you'll never forget. You'll always have your name up there on the left field fence," McGill said. "To be around such great people, learn from them and work with them … that's something I'll never forget." As the team succeeded, McGill began taking on a larger role both on and off the field. When he began as a Lion, Boretti said he did not notice McGill taking a vocal leadership role; instead, McGill preferred to lead by example, putting in hard work and letting others follow suit. As he developed as a player and person, though, McGill took on more leadership responsibilities for the Lions, culminating in his junior year, when he became the team's starting catcher. At catcher, a player carries a more significant and unique slate of responsibilities than any other position player, as catchers often direct pitchers on what to throw and shout instructions to the rest of the defense. The position is also incredibly physically demanding. Backstops have to block countless balls in the dirt, giving up their bodies to prevent runs. McGill welcomed that kind of responsibility. "He wanted to be a catcher, he likes to catch, he likes that pitcher-catcher relationship, and he likes being the guy in the middle of the field," Boretti remembered. "That's where we would see him as the most vocal, is when he was behind the dish. He was comfortable there. That's where I feel like he's at home." Even with that increased defensive responsibility, he continued to be one of the Lions' most important bats. He hit .299/.395/.439 with four home runs his junior year, good for a .834 OPS, which was third on the team. But the squad fell short in the Ivy League Championship, losing two close games to Harvard University after another strong regular-season showing, leaving one more year for McGill to chase another Ivy League title. Unfortunately, the 2020 season never got far enough underway to afford the Lions another shot at the championship. After eight road games, the season was canceled due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving McGill and his teammates searching for answers to find closure for a career that was cut painfully short. Not wanting to confront the possibility of their Columbia careers ending unceremoniously, McGill and Leo Pollack, CC '20, wrote a petition to Columbia and the Ivy League to allow athletes to receive fifth-year eligibility given the pandemic. Though the Ivy League agreed to permit students to seek a fifth year in 2021, that policy change came too late. McGill was not able to end his time at Columbia on the note he wanted to. "We wanted to play at Columbia and [it's] such a special place for us. … Having that opportunity stripped away from us when it did—in the middle of our season and not knowing what to expect—that was brutal," McGill said. As the pandemic continued and McGill was stuck at home, he mulled over his options. Unsatisfied with the way his career ended at Columbia, he wanted one last chance to prove himself and help a team win. With the uncertainty of the pandemic still looming, McGill decided to stay close to home, applying and matriculating to Bryant University to pursue a one-year MBA as a graduate student—a school that was only a 45-minute drive from South Kingstown, which would allow for his parents to travel safely to watch his games. Prior to the 2021 season, Bryant head coach Ryan Klosterman had an opening on his roster. Klosterman sought to add talent at catcher and was scanning the transfer portal for options. He admired McGill's impressive record at Columbia and his ability to avoid strikeouts, but it was his effort that separated him from other recruits. "I'll never forget watching his video a year ago from today, the one thing that stuck out to me when I was breaking down Liam was every ball that he hit—ground ball to the shortstop, ground ball to the pitcher—didn't matter, it was a hard 90," Klosterman said. "He just put his head down and played hard and ran hard." While Klosterman wanted to bolster his roster with a player who would make an impact on the field, he also knew that player had to be able to mesh with the team seamlessly—in a strange year in which COVID-19 protocols hung over every aspect of the season, a team's culture would be one of the most important factors in its success. McGill immediately was a perfect fit: as someone with four years of college baseball experience under his belt, he stepped in as a leader for Bryant from day one. "When you're bringing somebody in for one year, in Liam's scenario, you wanna make sure, culture-wise, fit-wise, everything matches up, and I can tell you, Liam was an absolute rockstar," Klosterman said. "He did everything the right way and it wasn't a 'Look what I've done in the past' mentality, it was 'How can I help you guys achieve the goals that you guys want to accomplish?'" As McGill began working with his new program, the Bryant Bulldogs' coaches plotted a way to elevate his hitting profile. He had always been a hitter with excellent bat-to-ball skills: In 2019, his 25 strikeouts over 157 at-bats were the third-least among the teams' regular hitters. But despite his big frame, McGill never boasted huge power numbers, as he never slugged over .500 with the Lions and had 14 home runs throughout his career. Klosterman and hitting coach Eric Pelletier saw a path to improving McGill's offensive production: If he elevated the ball more and took bigger swings in hitters' counts, perhaps he could do more damage at the plate and amplify his power numbers. "Ultimately, I was trying to elevate the ball more, because I've always been a hitter that can really drive the ball hard but I've struggled to get it in the air," McGill said. "It paid off, and it worked out really well." The results were instantaneous: over 37 games at Bryant, McGill slashed an outstanding .471/.541/.746 with nine home runs. He came close to reaching his career home run total of 14 at Columbia with his nine blasts as a Bulldog—in 381 fewer at-bats. McGill was consistent, too, as there was not a single month of the season in which he did not homer twice or drive in at least seven runs. He also reached base in every single one of the 37 games he played. When the season ended, he was a national standout, leading the country in both batting average and on-base percentage. Amid a challenging season with COVID-19 protocols and frequent travel that pitted the Bulldogs against varying levels of competition, Klosterman admired McGill's consistency, as he continued to hit no matter the situation or opponent. "The one thing that was unique with Liam was that he wasn't just good on Sundays. He wasn't just good during the midweek games," Klosterman reflected. "For him to be a model of consistency throughout the year was something that was really fun to watch." For McGill, it was not the statistics that mattered. It was competing to win with his team, and although the Bulldogs ultimately fell short in the Northeast Conference Baseball Tournament, they won their ninth straight Northeast Conference regular-season title. The bonds McGill forged with his teammates will stick with him, he said. "I wasn't really worried about coming in first [for the batting title] or anything like that. I didn't really look at the stats. I was worried about winning games and having fun," McGill said. "The overall experience with the guys and that season is really what I was enjoying and what it was about." The outstanding performance McGill put together in 2021 would soon catch the attention of professional scouts who were preparing for this year's Amateur Draft. While there's never a guarantee of what teams will do on draft night, particularly given MLB's decision to shorten the draft to 20 rounds, McGill's well-rounded skill set was appealing to a number of different types of scouts, whether they had new-age or traditional mindsets, Klosterman noted. "If you're a new-age scout and you're looking at the analytics and the statistics and exit velocities, he fit that bill. If you're an old-school scout, who is more 'bat-to-ball skills, put the ball in play, don't strike out so much,' he fit the bill for that as well." Simpson had been drafted by the Miami Marlins two years before, and McGill began to work with his agent as an advisor, who sent out feelers to each team to gauge interest in McGill. Though a few teams responded with interest, McGill did not know what to expect when the draft finally rolled around. He thought it was possible he would be signed as a free agent after the draft, or potentially not reach a deal at all. When the Braves made the decision to ink McGill with their ninth-round pick, it was celebrated by everyone who had worked with him. "It's first and foremost such a credit to his work ethic and drive, going through everything that he's been through, to get an opportunity like that and be drafted in the ninth round. It's tremendous," Boretti said. "Obviously, we have a sense of pride being involved with Liam at Columbia, and it's something that we're extremely proud of him for, proud to have him as an alum here, and we're going to continue to follow him as he makes his way through minor league ball." Klosterman was thrilled the Braves took a chance on McGill. "Getting a chance for the Atlanta Braves to take him within the first 10 rounds, I think he was very well-deserving of that, and I think they got a steal with one of the best hitters in the country." For McGill, it was a gratifying moment that he was glad he could experience with his family. "It was nice to be with the family when it happened and it was a huge culmination of all the hard work that I've put in and all the effort and support that they've shown me," he said. "Everything happens for a reason, I think, and it just worked out. It's a really good opportunity, and it's an honor." Senior staff writer Miles Schachner can be contacted at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @milesschachner. Founded in 1877, the Columbia Daily Spectator is the independent undergraduate newspaper of Columbia University, serving thousands of readers in Morningside Heights, West Harlem, and beyond. Read more at columbiaspectator.com and donate here.