If a big-league baseball career doesn't work out for new Chattanooga Lookouts shortstop Matt McLain, he could always be a spokesman for southern hospitality.
A first-round selection of the Cincinnati Reds in last June's Major League Baseball draft out of UCLA, the 22-year-old McLain had never been to the Deep South until arriving early last week from spring training in Goodyear, Arizona. It took mere hours for him to detect differences between Chattanooga and his home state of California, with some more noticeable than others.
"First of all, I would say the people," McLain said last Thursday as the Lookouts staged their preseason media event. "If you wave to them, they wave back. The quick interactions we have here aren't always there in California.
"Sometimes they happen out there, but not always."
The Lookouts opened their 138-game Southern League schedule last Friday night in Kodak against the Tennessee Smokies and will commence their 69-game AT&T Field slate Tuesday night at 7:15 against the Birmingham Barons. The Class AA debut for McLain yielded a 0-for-4 showing at the plate with three strikeouts, and he was hitless again Saturday, but the 5-foot-10, 180-pounder singled and doubled Sunday as Chattanooga won for the first time.
Though his time in pro baseball is still measured in months, McLain had shown enough at Beckman High School, UCLA and the Single-A Dayton (Ohio) Dragons to become MLB.com's No. 87 prospect in all of baseball this spring.
"He's a great kid," Lookouts first-year manager Jose Moreno said. "He played for us last year in Dayton, and he is very professional on and off the field. He has a great baseball IQ, and I think he's going to be a plus infielder who will hit for power.
"How far he can go is going to be up to him, but he has the tools."
McLain has been an MLB first-round selection twice, getting tabbed 25th overall by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2018 out of Beckman High. That was the draft topped by Auburn pitcher Casey Mize and contained ninth overall pick Kyler Murray, an outfielder from Oklahoma who is now the Arizona Cardinals quarterback, but McLain opted for three years of college.
He hit .333 last season with the Bruins, amassing nine home runs and 36 RBIs, and the Reds not only landed him last summer but provided a $4,625,000 signing bonus.
McLain's infant stages in the minors were a success, as he hit .273 in 29 games at Dayton with three homers and 19 RBIs. He began spring training several weeks ago as a virtual lock to break camp with Chattanooga, which has proven on occasion to be one step away from the majors, as evidenced by right fielder Yasiel Puig in 2013 and for third baseman Miguel Sano two years later.
"It's been crazy going from UCLA to Dayton to instructional ball to the offseason and then spring training and here," McLain said. "It's been crazy, but it's been everything I hoped it would be. I've made friends along the way pretty much every day, and I'm getting to play the game I love."
Minor to start
Former Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Mike Minor, who was Atlanta's No. 1 pick in the 2009 MLB draft out of Vanderbilt University, is scheduled to make a rehab start Wednesday night for the Lookouts at AT&T Field.
Minor compiled a 35-34 with Atlanta during the 2010-14 seasons and was an American League all-star with the Texas Rangers in 2019. The 34-year-old pitched last season for the Kansas City Royals and was traded from the Royals to the Reds last month.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.
QUICK Q&A WITH MATT McLAIN
Q: Who was your most admired player growing up? A: "Derek Jeter" Q: Did you have a particular signing bonus splurge? A: "Not really. I haven't gotten anything." Q: What's your favorite sport other than baseball? A: "Football. I played it in high school." Q: What movie sucks you in most no matter how many times you've seen it? A: "Step Brothers." Q: How are you when it comes to sleeping on the team bus? A: "I'm fine with that. I can sleep anywhere." - David Paschall