SOMETHING BRUIN
Baseball America|August 2020
Early struggles, mental toughness catapult UCLA’s Matt McLain to stardom
JOE HEALY
SOMETHING BRUIN

Matt McLain didn’t have the freshman season at UCLA that he would have wanted or that most expected he would.

Expectations were high for McLain after he spurned the D-backs as a first-round pick in 2018 and chose to stick to his college commitment at UCLA. But instead of imposing his will from Day One, he struggled, hitting .204/.276/.355 in his first season.

“There were for sure struggles there, as everyone saw,” McLain said. “That was the first time that I’ve really struggled at the plate like that in my life.”

Context matters, though, and this wasn’t just a freshman struggling to make the transition up to high-level Division I baseball, though that was certainly at play as well.

He was also taking one for the team and playing out of position. Naturally a shortstop, McLain spent more time in center field in 2019, with some third base mixed in, in deference to Kevin Kendall, who is a year ahead of McLain in the program, and later Ryan Kreidler, who was enjoying an outstanding junior season.

UCLA coach John Savage thinks that his adjustments to unfamiliar positions at least played a role in his struggles offensively.

“We moved him around a lot his freshman year,” Savage said. “We put him in center, he really hadn’t played center really ever, and I think that had a lot to do with his offense. We moved him over to third when we moved Kreidler to short, and then (Garrett) Mitchell went from right to center, clearly.

“We ended up moving him around a lot, and I think you can make a case that was part of his struggles, not being as connected to the game as he was as a shortstop.”

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة August 2020 من Baseball America.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة August 2020 من Baseball America.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

المزيد من القصص من BASEBALL AMERICA مشاهدة الكل
Wood Has Towering Upside- Nationals rookie James Wood also stands 6-foot-7 and also has game-changing power.
Baseball America

Wood Has Towering Upside- Nationals rookie James Wood also stands 6-foot-7 and also has game-changing power.

Aaron Judge and Oneil Cruz are 6-foot7 sluggers who stand out for their power in this year’s MLB Best Tools voting. Wood spent half of this season with Triple-A Rochester before making his MLB debut on July 1. While he was in the International League, he captured managers’ attention. Wood unanimously won Best Power Prospect and also claimed Most Exciting Player in a survey of league skippers. Wood hit .353/.463/.595 with 10 home runs in 52 games for Rochester. His .242 isolated slugging was the best for a player 21 or younger at Triple-A this season.

time-read
2 mins  |
August/September 2024
ROAD BLOCK?
Baseball America

ROAD BLOCK?

Scholarship expansion puts mid-majors at a major disadvantage on the road to Omaha

time-read
4 mins  |
August/September 2024
ROYALS REVIVAL
Baseball America

ROYALS REVIVAL

A revamped and rejuvenated farm system has Kansas City ready to rebound

time-read
6 mins  |
August/September 2024
SUMMER STANDOUTS
Baseball America

SUMMER STANDOUTS

The top prospects in summer college leagues are poised to impact the 2025 draft

time-read
7 mins  |
August/September 2024
FLORIDA COMPLEX LEAGUE TOP 10
Baseball America

FLORIDA COMPLEX LEAGUE TOP 10

Last year’s Florida Complex League prospect crop has been beset by lengthy injuries to many of its top players, including Yankees pitchers Henry Lalane and Carlos Lagrange, Mets infielder Marco Vargas and Red Sox catcher Johanfran Garcia.

time-read
6 mins  |
August/September 2024
IN WITH THE NEW
Baseball America

IN WITH THE NEW

The 2024 draft is in the books. The trade deadline is history.

time-read
3 mins  |
August/September 2024
WALCOTT BLASTS OFF
Baseball America

WALCOTT BLASTS OFF

It took some time for Rangers shortstop Sebastian Walcott to find his footing at High-A Hickory.

time-read
2 mins  |
August/September 2024
A RECORD NIGHT FOR COLLEGIANS
Baseball America

A RECORD NIGHT FOR COLLEGIANS

Four key takeaways from the 2024 draft

time-read
4 mins  |
August/September 2024
K.C.MASTERPIECE
Baseball America

K.C.MASTERPIECE

Shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. wins games for the Royals with his bat, glove, speed and baseball IQ. He might be the most tooled-up player in the game.

time-read
7 mins  |
August/September 2024
HOW THE MAJORS HAVE CHANGED FOR YOUNG PLAYERS
Baseball America

HOW THE MAJORS HAVE CHANGED FOR YOUNG PLAYERS

When negotiating the 2022 Collective Bargaining Agreement, the MLB Players Association prioritized the earning power of young major league players, especially young stars.

time-read
2 mins  |
May 2024