1. He is the No. 95-ranked prospect in baseball.
That just happened when MLB.com released updated rankings Sunday.
He trails four other Reds prospects on the new list: Fellow Louisville shortstop Elly De La Cruz (4th overall), Chattanooga (Double-A) shortstop Noelvi Marte (23), Dayton Dragons (Advanced Single-A) shortstop Edwin Arroyo (35) and Daytona (low Single-A) third baseman Collier (56),
2. The 23-year-old McLain was Cincinnati’s first pick in the 2021 MLB Draft and 17th overall.
The Tustin, Calif., native was a three-year starter at UCLA, where he hit .333 with nine home runs and 36 RBIs in his final season.
After graduating from Beckman High School in Irvine, Calif., he was drafted 25th overall by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2018 but chose college instead of signing.
3. He has been one of the best hitters in the International League to start the season.
McClain is third in the league with a .348 batting average and tied for second with 12 home runs. McLain’s .474 on-base percentage and .710 slugging percentage are second in the league, giving him the No. 1 OPS at 1.184.
4. He is enjoying a much better season in Triple-A than he did in Double-A Chattanooga.
McClain had a slash line of .232/.363/.453 last season with the Lookouts after playing only 29 games with Dayton in advanced Single-A.
He hit .273 with an on-base percentage of .387 and slugged .424 for the Dayton Dragons in 2021.
5. McClain called himself a winner and a competitor when he was drafted.
“I like to hit,” he told reporters in 2021. “I like to play defense. I like to run. I think I can do everything on the field— not in a cocky way. I just love baseball, and I love playing the game every single day and going out there and giving it my all. That’s what I do, and that’s what I’m going to do every single day from here on out.”
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