The Red Devils are set to call potential customers in the field Matt McLainbased on Cincinnati Enquirer’s Charlie Goldsmith. McLain is expected to make his MLB debut when the Reds open the series against the Rockies on Monday. Since McLain isn’t on the 40 list, Cincinnati may have to make multiple trades to get him promoted to the active list.
As the 17th overall pick of the 2021 draft, McLain was a highly regarded player during his college days at UCLA, and he rose to prominence thanks to Cincinnati’s ranch system. His breakout year at Triple-A seems to have helped him get promoted, as McLain has racked up a stellar .346/.464/,713 with 12 home goals in over 168 appearances. at Triple-A Louisville this season.
Even if he has only played 37 games at the Triple-A level, these numbers are extremely hard to ignore, and so the 23-year-old will embark on his next test in the Chapter. submit. Although McLain has played well in second place in the minors, he has only played the short haul this year and is now looking to replace the second. Kevin Newman/Jose Barrero combination at the shortstop.
McLain was cited in the top 100 leads from the MLB Prospectus (77th) and the MLB Pipeline (87th) prior to the 2022 season, but did not receive any attention in the top 100 during the 2022 season. this year, though his Triple-A gain moved him back to 95th place in Pipeline’s most recent update to their rankings. According to Pipeline’s scouting report, there was concern about McLain’s spike in strikes at Double-A in 2022, as “much of that stems from McLain trying to do too much at the disc when He’s trying to figure out who he is. professional fighter and he often sells out power.”
In the end, McLain has dramatically and impressively cut back on his swings this year, with walks (27) roughly equaling strikes (33) at Louisville. His bonus speed didn’t improve much on the baselines as he was caught 5 times in 10 steals, but McLain stole 27 bases in 30 tries at Double-A in 2022 .
Baseball America’s mini-report is a bit less optimistic about McLain’s future as is customary, saying “he is expected to be a super utility player who can play in a variety of other positions.” each other, including taking shortcuts.” It remains to be seen whether the shortcut sustains McLain’s long-term position, although beyond mere defensive questions his use could also be influenced by the influx of young players. upcoming talent of the Red Devils. Elly De La Cruz is one of baseball’s elite prospects and is also said to make his MLB debut at some point in 2023, and is the third pitcher Christian Encarnacion-Stand shouldn’t be too far from the shuttle from Louisville. midfielder Noelvi Marte, Edwin ArroyoAnd Cam Collier also ranked in Pipeline’s top 100 and of course Jonathan India was established as the second warrior of the Red Devils and Directed by Spencer played really well in his rookie season.
It creates a rather interesting ‘problem’ for the Reds as they sort out exactly who will be part of their squad going forward and with the team in rebuild mode at least through 2023. , they will have plenty of time to continue evaluating these children. McLain will get his first chance to make a first impression, and he may soon be in the diamond ring if De La Cruz is called up and taken on the short-term job.
Since McLain isn’t on at least two of the pre-season top 100 lists from Pipeline, Baseball America or ESPN.com, he won’t be eligible for the full five major league service times even if he does. he finished in second place in the Rookie of the Year Vote. However, assuming McLain remains competitive for the rest of 2023, he should spend enough time in service to potentially qualify for Super Two status and add an extra year of qualifying as a weight. talent.
