DENVER – Matt McLain bet on himself after the 2018 Major League Baseball Draft and now the Cincinnati Reds are betting on him.
The Reds took McLain, a shortstop out of UCLA, with the No. 17 overall selection. He was a first-round pick in the 2018 MLB Draft by the Arizona Diamondbacks (No. 25 overall) but he did not sign. He spurned a $2.6 million signing bonus, according to the Los Angeles Times.
McLain, a 5-foot-11, 170-pound right-handed hitter, waited three years for his next opportunity in the draft and he improved his draft position. He was rated as the 10th-best prospect in the draft class by Baseball America and the 12th-best by MLB.com.
"I’ve for sure become a better person and a better player on the field," McLain said. "I think I’ve for sure progressed in every area that I possibly could."
In 47 games at UCLA this year, missing around three weeks with a broken thumb, McLain had a .333 batting average and .434 on-base percentage. He had nine homers, 14 doubles, 36 RBI and 47 runs, leading his school to a 37-20 record.
