Matt McLain
SS 5-11 170 UCLA
11-9-20 - Ian Smith Mock 1.0 -
12. Seattle Mariners
The Pick- 2B/CF Matt McLain • UCLA
5’11” • 175lb
You want a best player available pick? Here it is, McLain is a Top 10 player on nearly every draft board you will find and was already a first round choice in 2018 out of high school. Seattle should be ecstatic to see him on the board here, which makes the selection easy. Easy, short right-handed swing shows a clear plus hit tool that works the gaps to all fields. Started to really tap into his power potential in 2020 summer league action, which will be something to watch this spring. Stocky yet athletic frame has deceptive foot speed with fringe level arm strength and above average glove. Currently a shortstop, McLain is probably best suited for the cornerstone at the pro level.
There’s an awful lot to like in everything McLain brings to the field. Whenever you’re talking about a guy who stood out enough in high school to be selected in the first round, parlaying that into a solid collegiate career and potentially into the top ten consideration again, there’s enough track record to feel some peace of mind. McLain is the type of guy that gets drafted and plays 16 years in the league, consistently getting more out of his tools that anyone expects, a la Adam Kennedy.
There’s more than enough tools here to project a very good big leaguer, although it’s generally a futile exercise placing any sort of comparison on this type of profile. He’s not Alex Bregman. He’s not Dustin Pedroia. He’s not Nick Madrigal. He’s not Adam Kennedy or Erick Aybar either. Matt McLain is Matt McLain. I’d be willing to bet he’s going to make a name for himself in pro ball one way or another.
5. Matt McLain, SS, UCLA
McLain has already been selected in the first round once, spurning a $2.6 million offer from the Diamondbacks in 2018 after being selected 25th overall in order to enroll at UCLA. He struggled in his transition to college, hitting .203 as a freshman, but he didn't need long to find his stride.
He was a Cape League All-Star last summer before exploding as a sophomore this year, hitting .397 with three homers and a 1.043 OPS in 13 games before the season was halted.
MLB - 3. Matt McLain, SS, UCLA - McLain turned down the D-backs as a first-round pick in 2018 and struggled as a freshman, but he has performed very well since in the Cape Cod League, as a sophomore and with the National Baseball Congress World Series champion Santa Barbara Foresters this summer. As a smaller middle infielder (5-foot-11, 170 pounds) with perhaps the best bat-to-ball skills in his college class and flashes of well-above-average speed, he's similar to Nick Madrigal, who went fourth overall in the 2018 Draft. He has more sneaky power, a stronger arm and a better chance to stay at shortstop than Madrigal did.
6. Arizona Diamondbacks: Matt McLain, SS, UCLA
The Diamondbacks have a history with McLain. They drafted him with the 25th overall pick in the 2018 draft. McLain turned down $2.6 million from the Diamondbacks to honor his commitment to UCLA, though. That decision might pay off next year, as McLain is in the mix to be a top-10 pick in the 2021 draft. And with where the Diamondbacks are picking, they might have the chance to draft McLain once again.
McLain is 5-11, 170 pounds, and has all the tools to play shortstop in pro ball. After hitting .203 with four home runs in 249 plate appearances as a freshman in 2019, McLain experienced better results at the plate, batting .397 with three home runs in 64 plate appearances this spring.
McLain is strong defensively, possessing the instincts and arm strength to stay at shortstop long-term. He also is athletic and has solid speed. He profiles more as a gap-to-gap hitter who will hit for average in pro ball.
6) Matt McLain, SS, UCLA - A first round selection of the Diamondbacks in 2018, McLain did not sign and ended up on campus at UCLA instead. He struggled in his freshman season (.203/.276/.355) but he turned it around that summer on the Cape, where he slashed .274/.394/.425. That momentum carried over to the start of his 2020 season, where he was scorching hot. In his 64 plate appearances before the shutdown, McClain was off to a .397/.422/.621 start, and he also blasted three homers. His swing is really sound. He has a short, compact stroke that is quick through the zone. He has plus bat control and can whack pitches at all parts of the zone. He projects to be the type of player who puts the ball in play frequently. McLain hit the ball with a lot more authority in the spring and shows rotation and bat speed, but the swing doesn’t have too much leverage and he is more of a gap-to-gap hitter by nature. In a way he is similar to Alex Bregman coming out of LSU. Bregman had more power in his game than McLain at this point in their careers, but both players were more contact oriented at the same stage in their careers. Bregman’s power developed more once he got into pro ball, and there is a chance McLain’s power may still come. Besides power, McLain also needs to improve his approach and plate discipline. He attacks early and often, as he doesn’t see many pitches. He hits enough right now to get away with it, but he will have to show that he can lay off pitches out of the zone as he faces better pitching as his career goes along. McLain is the modern day defender. He is very versatile, as he played second base, third base, and centerfield in his freshman season before settling into the starting shortstop role in 2020. McLain has solid defensive tools across the board, and while his arm and hands may prove to be too weak for shortstop, his versatility will still prove valuable. Overall McLain’s floor is pretty high because of the contact and ability to hit, but how his power and approach develop will determine his ceiling.
10. Matt McLain, 2B, UCLA
If you’re looking for the name of a college hitter who could break out in 2021, look no further. Despite his size (5’10), Matt McLain was viewed as one of the best prep hitters in the country in 2018. Still, one has to think that if McLain were just a few inches taller, he would have been a top-10 pick because then he’d be more “projectable.” Nevertheless, his bat was so good that the Diamondbacks drafted him 25th overall as a high school senior. Having underperformed as a freshman at UCLA in 2019, McLain appeared to have righted the ship and was absolutely mashing before COVID-19 shut down the 2020 season. He even started showing some power, with three bombs in 13 games en route to a .397/.621/1.043 slash line.
dnvr -
Matt McLain, SS/2B, UCLA
According to FanGraphs, the ninth best prospect from the 2021 class is UCLA middle infielder Matt McLain.
After Colorado selected LHP Ryan Rolison 22nd overall in the 2018 MLB Draft, Arizona followed with McLain out of Beckman HS in Irvine, CA at 25th overall.
As generous as the DBacks’ offer, the most polished prep player that year opted to join the Bruins alongside future Rockies’ first-rounder Michael Toglia.
However unclear of his abilities to make a career at shortstop, McLain has abilities to play anywhere in the infield or even in center field thanks to his plus-speed.
Click here for the full list of Mack's Scouting Reports.These dudes can rake.
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) December 16, 2020
Scouting reports and more in our Top 100 #MLBDraft prospects list: https://t.co/VztdSEtB7X pic.twitter.com/8RnmROiOyI
3 comments:
McLain might be good but does not seem like a first rounder to me. Pass.
Funny.
Every mock so far this year has him in the first ten picks.
I am like you. Good but not worthy as a first rounder.
Yep. Not a first rounder. Wasn't a first rounder out of H.S and D'backs knew it. Saw one summer game in June when his team the Forsters faced a socal Giants 2020 scout team. That team brought in a kid throwing 92 with movement and made four of their batters, including Mclain look silly!
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