CHICAGO – When Matt McLain was drafted in the first round by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 2018 MLB Draft, he turned down a $2.6 million signing bonus and chose to play the next three seasons at UCLA.
The bet on himself paid off.
McLain received a $4.625 million signing bonus, according to MLB.com, when he officially became a member of the Cincinnati Reds on Monday. McLain was the No. 17 overall pick in this month’s draft, though he was considered a candidate to be taken in the top-10.
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He signed his contract Monday with his parents and Reds scouting director Brad Meador next to him. His agent, Scott Boras, and Reds general manager Nick Krall were in the room via conference call.
“Cincinnati is a great organization and a great team,” McLain said after he was drafted. “I’m just fired up to get the opportunity to go play. It was a dream come true, to be honest.”
McLain, listed at 5-foot-11, 170 pounds, was ranked as the 10th-best prospect in the draft class by Baseball America and the 12th-best by MLB.com. He had a .333 batting average and a .434 on-base percentage in 47 games at UCLA this year, sidelined for three weeks because of a broken thumb.
He was considered one of the top collegiate hitters in the draft class and he has positional versatility because he played center field as a freshman. The Reds are confident he’ll be able to stick at shortstop long-term.
“He’s a guy we really wanted and we really liked,” Meador said after the Reds made the pick. “We had him high on the board. We didn’t think we’d be able to get him but the way it worked out, we’re really excited. He’s a player we think can play shortstop. He’s a plus runner, he can handle the bat hitting at the top of the lineup. A middle-of-the-field player with really good tools, really good makeup, a lot to be excited about.”
McLain vaults to one of the Reds’ top prospects and the Reds hope he will be a quick mover through their minor league system.
Rehab assignments for the Reds
Lucas Sims began his rehab assignment at Triple-A Louisville on Tuesday, scheduled to pitch one inning. He’s been on the 10-day injured list since June 24 with a sprained right elbow.
Sims is expected to make at least a few rehab appearances at Louisville before rejoining the Reds’ bullpen in early August. Sims has a 5.02 ERA in 28 2/3 innings this season, though that number is a bit inflated from pitching in extra innings when teams rallied with the automatic runner on second base rule.
Infielder Alex Blandino, out since June 5 with a broken right hand, is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment at Louisville on Wednesday.
Reliever Michael Feliz was scheduled to make a rehab outing at High-A Dayton on Tuesday. He struck out two of the four batters he faced in a rehab appearance last Saturday at Louisville.
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With Friday's trade deadline looming, Reds manager David Bell says it's just one of those things players have to try to ignore.
The Reds were six games out of a playoff spot, entering Tuesday.
"I've been through this a lot," Bell said. "I even went through it as a kid. It's a weird time because in baseball you're around people you care about, you're part of a team, you're part of a family. Just because of how baseball works, we all understand it."
The Reds don't fit into the traditional buyers and sellers mold because of their spot in the standings.
"I love our team, the position we've put ourselves into and the players on this team are completely responsible for the way that we've played and the way we've played together through all the challenges," Bell said. "I couldn't be happier with the response of our players and our team. To me, there's a lot to be said for that."
Jose Barrero, Nick Lodolo: Reds prospects move up on list
Baseball America released its midseason prospect rankings Monday and the Cincinnati Reds landed two players inside of the top-20 and three players in the top-50.
Shortstop Jose Barrero is rated as the sport’s No. 19 prospect, rising from No. 63 in the publication’s preseason rankings, and left-handed pitcher Nick Lodolo jumped to No. 20 in the latest update from No. 88. Right-hander Hunter Greene is ranked No. 48.
Barrero played in 24 big-league games last year, but the Reds sent him back to the minor leagues to help him develop offensively. He’s had a breakout season with a .294 batting average, .373 on-base percentage and a career-high 11 homers.
Lodolo, the No. 7 pick in the 2019 MLB Draft, has a 2-0 record with a 1.58 ERA in nine starts at Double-A Chattanooga. He’s struck out 62 and walked seven in 40 innings, limited for about a month because of a blister on his left pointer finger.
Greene has made 14 starts this season, seven at Triple-A Louisville and seven at Chattanooga. Between the two levels, he’s posted a 3.07 ERA with 103 strikeouts and 29 walks in 73 1/3 innings.
Graham Ashcraft, a right-hander at Chattanooga, landed just outside Baseball America’s Top-100 midseason list. Ashcraft has a 2.11 ERA in 14 starts this season, carrying a 44-inning streak without giving up an earned run from May 30-July 13.
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