Matt McLain
- Cincinnati’s roster as it stands starts at 2B · 498 PA · 0.8 WAR in the role
- Injured list 2026: Left calf strain (Jul 10–Jul 30)
- Trade read Available at a price: CIN 16% playoff odds; control through 2029.
Hitting · 2026 percentiles
vs. MLB hitters with 300+ PA · 496 PA
Platoon splits · swing path
By pitcher handedness
| vs | PA | wOBA | xwOBA | K% | BB% | Chase | Decisions | Contact |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LHP | 125 | .352 | .339 | 23% | 12% | 28% | +0.81 | +0.83 |
| RHP | 371 | .252 | .279 | 30% | 9% | 27% | +0.47 | −1.21 |
- Attack angle
- 11.5° (59% in 5–20°)
- Attack direction
- +0.1°
- Swing length
- 6.9 ft
- Fast-swing rate
- 11%
- Pull-air %
- 16.6%
- Hard-hit %
- 35.8%
- Slash · wRC+
- .185/.274/.334 · 67
Zone map · 2026
Where he does damage, and where to pitch him
Does the most damage down and in (+0.7 vs. league per 100; 0.3 standard errors on 57 pitches, inside the noise for the best of nine cells).
Weakest up and in (−4.0), but only 1.9 standard errors from average on 92 pitches: no in-zone spot to attack yet.
Runs per 100 pitches vs. an average RHB: better · worse. Catcher’s view · 1,811 pitches · faded cells are within one standard error of average. A spot is called only when it is farther from average than the best or worst of nine average cells gets 95% of the time (set from the league’s own pitches: about 3 standard errors above, 2 below).
Most similar hitters
Swings like McLain: bat path, contact quality and approach
| Similarity | Player | xwOBA | ’26 WAR | ’27 proj | 2027 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 71 | Ryan Waldschmidt AZ · ’02 | .302 | 1.1 | 1.3 | Pre-arb |
| 66 | Jackson Holliday BAL · ’03 | .293 | 0.5 | 1.0 | Pre-arb |
| 64 | Anthony Volpe NYY · ’01 | .291 | 1.4 | 1.4 | Arb |
| 62 | Daniel Schneemann CLE · ’97 | .292 | 0.6 | 0.7 | Pre-arb |
| 60 | Jonathan Aranda TB · ’98 | .342 | 3.0 | 2.3 | Arb |
Nearest neighbours on bat speed, swing length, attack angle, squared-up and blast rates, EV90, barrels, pull-air, chase, zone contact, K% and BB%. 2026 regulars only.
Fielding
2027 rating at every position he can play · OAA by position · range by direction · tools. Same engine as the Fielding Lab and the Winter Plan.
| Season | Pos | OAA | Range | Arm, DP | Runs | Batters |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | CF | +1 | +1 | 0.0 | +1.0 | 68 |
| 2026 | SS | −1 | 0 | −0.1 | −0.1 | 1,136 |
| 2026 | 2B | +4 | +3 | −0.3 | +2.7 | 3,728 |
| 2025 | SS | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 160 |
| 2025 | 2B | +5 | +3 | +1.2 | +4.2 | 4,952 |
| 2023 | 2B | 0 | 0 | −0.4 | −0.4 | 1,300 |
| 2023 | SS | +2 | +2 | −0.6 | +1.4 | 2,018 |
Runs = range plus his arm and double-play runs spread over his positions by outs (Fielding Run Value, from 2023): what the rating counts.
At 2B in 2026, the biggest loss came toward 3B line (−2 outs): a coaching target.
Tools (percentile; arm among 2Bs)| Play | Made | Chances | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| ★★★★★ | 0 | 2 | 0% |
| ★★★★ | 0 | 0 | — |
| ★★★ | 2 | 2 | 100% |
| ★★ | 0 | 0 | — |
| ★ | 1 | 1 | 100% |
| Season | Zone | Balls | Outs vs. exp. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | SS | 97 | +0.6 |
| 2026 | 2B | 341 | −4.8 |
| 2025 | 2B | 425 | −4.3 |
The zone rating counts every ball hit to his part of the field while he played there, his club’s positioning included; Savant OAA uses his actual starting spot and is the better individual grade. They agree best in the outfield. See the model card.
Contract & projection
Club control (RosterResource) · Keystone projected WAR
* projected arbitration or minimum salary. Contract Studio →
Minor leagues
MLB Stats API · public box-score data
| SeasonLevel | Level | Team | Age | G | PA / IP | PA / IP ·Line |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026AAA | AAA | Louisville Bats | 26 | 5 | 20 PA | 20 PA · .294/.400/.412 · 0 HR · 25.0% K · 10.0% BB |
ABS challenges · 2026
Baseball Savant