Matt McLain

Matt McLain

25-Year-Old Second Baseman2B
Cincinnati Reds
2024 Fantasy Outlook
McLain showed the makings of an incredibly well-rounded player in 89 games as a rookie before an oblique injury ended his season at the end of August. Following his mid-May call-up, McLain slashed .290/.357/.507 with 16 home runs and 14 steals in 19 attempts, briefly putting himself in the Rookie of the Year conversation alongside Corbin Carroll. Statcast throws some cold water on his debut, saying he overperformed his batting average by 35 points (.255 xBA) and his slugging by a whopping 72 points (.435 xSLG). His strikeout and walk rates leave something to be desired (28.5 K%, 7.7 BB%), but McLain showed better plate skills in the minors and should put more balls in play moving forward at the super-hitter-friendly Great American Ball Park. Despite the caveats, the Reds have to be excited about what the 2021 first-round pick showed in his first exposure to big-league pitching. McLain is also a plus defender and enters 2024 with eligibility at both shortstop and second base. Read Past Outlooks
RANKS
Rest of Season From Preseason
#107
ADP
$Signed a one-year contract with the Reds in March of 2024.
Starting in center field in AFL
2BCincinnati Reds
October 29, 2024
McLain is starting in center field Tuesday for the Glendale Desert Dogs during Arizona Fall League play, Doug Gray of RedlegNation.com reports.
ANALYSIS
McLain has played only second base and shortstop in pro ball, and his first five starts in the AFL came at second base. However, the outfield isn't totally foreign to the 25-year-old, as center field was his primary position in his freshman season at UCLA and he also saw some action in the corner outfield spots during college summer ball. Whether the Reds will consider using McLain in the outfield some in 2025 isn't clear, but the versatility can't hurt, especially with the club having other middle-infield options. McLain missed the entire 2024 campaign following shoulder surgery and a subsequent stress reaction in his ribcage, but he's expected to enter spring training healthy.
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Batting Stats
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2024
2023
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Scoring
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2023 MLB Game Log
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Left/Right Batting Splits
Since 2022
 
 
+21%
OPS vs LHP
2024
No Stats
2023
 
 
+21%
OPS vs LHP
2022
No Stats
OPS PA R HR RBI SB AVG OBP SLG
Since 2022vs Left .995 101 17 6 17 5 .326 .386 .609
Since 2022vs Right .820 302 48 10 33 9 .278 .348 .473
2024vs Left 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2024vs Right 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2023vs Left .995 101 17 6 17 5 .326 .386 .609
2023vs Right .820 302 48 10 33 9 .278 .348 .473
2022vs Left 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2022vs Right 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
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Home/Away Batting Splits
Since 2022
 
 
+26%
OPS at Home
2024
No Stats
2023
 
 
+26%
OPS at Home
2022
No Stats
OPS PA R HR RBI SB AVG OBP SLG
Since 2022Home .977 181 32 10 26 5 .304 .381 .596
Since 2022Away .774 222 33 6 24 9 .279 .338 .436
2024Home 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2024Away 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2023Home .977 181 32 10 26 5 .304 .381 .596
2023Away .774 222 33 6 24 9 .279 .338 .436
2022Home 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2022Away 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
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Prospect Rankings History
Advanced Batting Stats
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Additional Stats
Games By Position
Defensive Stats
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Batted Ball Stats
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Stats Vs Upcoming Pitchers
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Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring Matt McLain See More
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Past Fantasy Outlooks
2023
2022
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.
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.
More Fantasy News
Reinstated from 60-day injured list
2BCincinnati Reds
October 28, 2024
The Reds activated McLain (shoulder/rib) from the 60-day injured list Monday.
ANALYSIS
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Will play in instructional league
2BCincinnati Reds
Shoulder
September 20, 2024
McLain (shoulder/rib) will play in instructional league games this fall, Gordon Wittenmyer of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.
ANALYSIS
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Not expected back in 2024
2BCincinnati Reds
Shoulder
September 13, 2024
McLain (shoulder/rib) is unlikely to return before the end of the season, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.
ANALYSIS
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Resuming baseball activities
2BCincinnati Reds
Shoulder
September 5, 2024
McLain (shoulder/rib) is pain-free and has been cleared to resume baseball activities, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.
ANALYSIS
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Still undergoing tests
2BCincinnati Reds
Shoulder
August 27, 2024
Reds manager David Bell said Tuesday that McLain (shoulder/rib) is still undergoing tests to determine the cause of the pain in his side, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.
ANALYSIS
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