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Cincinnati Reds' Matt McLain Grabs Hold of NL Rookie Leads in Several Major Stats

Originally posted on FanNation Fastball | By Sam Connon | Last updated 8/17/23

Cincinnati Reds infielder Matt McLain had another big day Wednesday against the Cleveland Guardians, carving out some real estate on the league leaderboards as a result.

McLain went 3-for-5 in the Reds' 7-2 victory over the Guardians, notching an RBI double in the first inning and a two-run home run in the fourth. It was the 13th home run of the year for McLain, who now also has 44 RBI.

Following the performance, McLain emerged as the leader among qualified National League rookies in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage and OPS, as pointed out by MLB Pipeline.

The 5-foot-8 shortstop and second baseman is batting .298 with a .363 on-base percentage, a .514 slugging percentage and a .877 OPS just 79 games into his MLB career.

Despite McLain's statistic prowess this season, he appears to be largely out of the running to win NL Rookie of the Year.

Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Corbin Carroll is the heavy favorite to win the award, owning minus-2000 odds on FanDuel compared to McLain's plus-1100 odds. DraftKings Sportsbook isn't even listing odds or accepting bets on the race anymore.

Carroll, who has appeared in 37 more games than McLain with 117 more plate appearances, is batting .272 with a .352 on-base percentage, .507 slugging percentage and .860 OPS. Carroll has 21 home runs, 59 RBI, 37 stolen bases and a 4.2 WAR, though, all of which outpace McLain and his 3.6 WAR.

McLain and Carroll were supposed to be teammates at UCLA, but Carroll backed off his commitment to the Bruins when the Diamondbacks picked him in the first round of the 2019 MLB Draft. Just one year earlier, McLain had also been selected in the first round by Arizona, but he opted to go to college instead of turning pro out of high school.

Now, the pair are going head-to-head for one of the top awards in the sport.

There are other Reds technically still contending for NL Rookie of the Year, as Spencer Steer, Elly De La Cruz and Andrew Abbott boast the fourth, fifth and eighth-best odds, respectively, according to FanDuel.

Cincinnati's young core has powered the team to a 63-59 record so far this season, which puts them in a three-way tie for the third and final NL Wild Card spot.

The Reds will try to break that tie and snag sole possession of a playoff spot when they host the Toronto Blue Jays on Thursday. First pitch is scheduled for 6:40 p.m. ET.

This article first appeared on FanNation Fastball and was syndicated with permission.

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