Matt McLain

23-Year-Old ShortstopSS
Cincinnati Reds AA
2023 Fantasy Outlook
McLain hit seven homers and stole seven bases while hitting .271 in his first 23 games at Double-A. From there, he hit .217 with 10 home runs and 20 steals, and his elevated strikeout rate and elevated walk rate remained stable. The generously-listed 5-foot-11 middle infielder (likely to end up at second base) didn't chase at an alarming clip, but he also didn't swing enough at pitches in the zone, and when he did swing, he was taking mighty hacks and making contact at a poor 65.8% clip. The hope with McLain when the Reds selected him with the 17th overall pick in 2021 was that he would have at least an above-average hit tool with plus speed and sneaky power. Unfortunately, it seems like McLain is trying to be a three-true outcome hitter without possessing plus raw power, and he is less appealing in fantasy because of it. The Reds now have an abundance of infield prospect depth, and McLain doesn't rank among the best of the bunch. Read Past Outlooks
RANKS
$Signed a $4.63 million contract with the Reds in July of 2021.
Reassigned to minor-league camp
SSCincinnati Reds  AA
March 14, 2023
McLain was reassigned Tuesday to the minor-league side of Reds camp.
ANALYSIS
McLain had been one of the standouts this spring in major-league camp, but he'll get at least a little seasoning at Triple-A Louisville before the Reds consider calling him up to the big leagues. He finished out the 2022 campaign at Double-A Chattanooga. The 23-year-old infielder went as the No. 17 overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft out of UCLA.
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Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring Matt McLain See More
Top 400 MLB Prospect Rankings
63 days ago
James Anderson answers over 60 listener questions regarding his 2023 top 400 prospect rankings, in which Arizona's Corbin Carroll retains the No. 1 overall spot.
2022 Fantasy Outlook
The Reds gave McLain the ninth-largest bonus in the 2021 draft ($4.625 million) after selecting him with the 17th-overall pick. His hit tool and plus speed are the top selling points, but he has sneaky pop as well. He hit .333/.434/.579 with nine home runs, nine steals (on 10 attempts) and a 34:34 K:BB in 47 games as a junior at UCLA. McLain was one of three first-round hitters to get tested with an assignment to High-A (Henry Davis and Sal Frelick were the others), and he handled himself quite well, logging a .273/.387/.424 slash line (127 wRC+), 20.2 K% and 14.3 BB%. He also stole 10 bases on 12 tries in 29 games. If the hit tool is as good as it seems, McClain's defensive versatility -- he can handle all three up-the-middle positions -- and plus speed will allow him to play almost every day and chip in around 20 steals. His eventual power output is TBD, but he could become a 15-20 homer threat, potentially settling in as a valuable five-category contributor with multi-position eligibility.
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Heating up recently
SSCincinnati Reds  AA
September 19, 2022
McLain has hit .292/.514/.625 with two homers, three steals and an 11:11 BB:K across his last seven games for Double-A Chattanooga.
ANALYSIS
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Activated from 7-day IL
SSCincinnati Reds  AA
July 22, 2022
McLain (wrist) was activated from the 7-day injured list Friday, Doug Gray of RedsMinorLeagues.com reports.
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Could return from IL next week
SSCincinnati Reds  AA
Wrist
July 20, 2022
McLain, who is on the 7-day injured list at Double-A Chattanooga with a wrist injury, is expected to return to action at some point next week, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports.
ANALYSIS
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Hits shelf at Double-A
SSCincinnati Reds  AA
Undisclosed
June 26, 2022
Double-A Chattanooga placed McLain on its 7-day injured list Sunday due to an unspecified injury.
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Power on full display
SSCincinnati Reds  AA
May 5, 2022
McLain has four home runs and nine RBI with three strikeouts and zero walks over his last three games for Double-A Chattanooga.
ANALYSIS
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