Following a terrific rookie year, the Reds have even higher expectations for Matt McLain
GOODYEAR, Ariz. — Last May, the Cincinnati Reds had a two-run lead over the Boston Red Sox, but Boston loaded the bases in the seventh inning against reliever Alex Young.
The Reds were on a four-game winning streak, and they later pointed to this stretch of the schedule as the point where the Reds proved that they could beat the odds and exceed expectations in 2023.
But first, Young had to get out of that jam. When Red Sox designated hitter Justin Turner hit a tough chopper up the middle, there was rookie Matt McLain making a tough play at shortstop look easy. As he faced the most high-pressure situation of his young career, he fielded the ball in stride and threw on the run to get Turner out at first base.
These are the moments that defined McLain’s rookie year. They summed up his importance to the 2024 Reds and why they’ve paired McLain with shortstop Elly De La Cruz as their second base-shortstop combination for this season. And they highlight the importance of McLain recovering from an oblique injury at the beginning of spring training this year, putting the injury behind him and staying on track for Opening Day.
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“Last year, Matt showed that he had the ability to make the game a lot slower than most players,” Reds catcher Luke Maile said. “He knew he was good right away and didn’t apologize to anyone. We needed a spark. We have a lot of that, but he’s definitely a big one.”
In 2023, McLain was the Reds’ best player. He led the team in batting average (.280) and OPS (.864). He was on pace for 29 home runs and 25 stolen bases over 162 games, and was also the team’s best defender.
McLain missed the final month of the last season with an oblique injury, which popped back up again in late February. The setback kept him out for a week, but McLain is now on the verge of completing his build-up progression. If everything continues to go well, McLain will make his spring training debut this weekend.
The setback with his oblique was a reminder of his importance to the 2024 Reds. The Reds’ offense wasn’t the same without him at the top of the order last year, and their defense wasn’t as good either. He’ll be playing his first full season in the big leagues in 2024, and the Reds expect him to be hitting at or near the top of the order the entire way.
He brings so much to the team’s defense that they’ve moved Jonathan India into a utility role. With De La Cruz and McLain up the middle, the Reds are confident that they have their best potential double play combination and their best two defenders up the middle.
“Last year, Matt knew he belonged here and he played that way,” Reds manager David Bell said. “Great defense. He’s a good base runner. He made some really great adjustments from the year before that allowed him to be prepared for the opportunity he got. He’s just at the beginning.”
When McLain reached the big leagues last year, he was immediately ready to shoulder high expectations. He never went through a rookie lull. He immediately was a five-tool player.
“He’s a super gamer, and he’s the complete package,” said Reds reliever Brent Suter, who played two series against the Reds last year. “Matt reminds me of (2008 AL MVP) Dustin Pedroia with more athleticism. And Pedroia was a really good athlete. I get those vibes because he’s a really exciting talent. When he got called up last year, it seemed like that was the beginning of the transformation of the Reds’ season.”
McLain sees his experience in the Arizona Fall League in 2022 as the turning point of his professional career. Following a year in Double-A, the Reds had him spend October playing in the prestigious fall league so McLain would be ready for the grind of an MLB schedule that could extend into October.
In the Arizona Fall League, McLain hit .190. He learned then that a slump wouldn’t shake his confidence.
“No matter what happens,” McLain said. “I know who I am. I know the type of player I am.”
When McLain got called up to MLB last May, he made a point to study the best hitter on the team the Reds were facing. With a front row seat as he stood at shortstop, McLain saw what he could glean from players like Aaron Judge and Paul Goldschmidt.
He watched those hitters make adjustments over the course of a series, and McLain recognized the importance of staying on top of how pitchers were game-planning against him.
“I’m constantly trying to make adjustments,” McLain said. “If you fail, you have to do something about it. I spend a lot of time with our hitting coaches looking at trends and ways to combat how I’m getting pitched. I’m really using them to my advantage to get their help when I need it. I’m trying to hit pitches in my zone more often and dominate my part of the zone as much as I can.”
The Reds believe that they have their middle infield of the future set up with De La Cruz at shortstop and McLain at second base. While De La Cruz has earned an incredibly bright spotlight, McLain sometimes flies under the radar.
McLain played like an All-Star last year. Still, he swung and missed at more pitches than average and had a high strikeout rate, and McLain is working on gaining a deeper understanding of pitching. With a better feel for their game plans, McLain is confident that he’ll make an even bigger impact at the plate.
McLain is still only 24 years old, but he already plays like he has been in the big leagues for a while. In 2024, the Reds are building their lineup around his ability to make an All-Star caliber impact.
“He’s exactly what you want in a player,” Bell said. “And he’s exactly what we want on our team.”
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This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Matt McLain was the Reds' best player last year, and they're counting on him even more in 2024.
