McLain brothers in lineup together again Arizona Fall League
GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- The world looked a lot different the last time Matt McLain and Sean McLain started in the same lineup on Aug. 10, 2020. No longer with their college teams at UCLA and Arizona State, the Orange County natives joined the Santa Barbara Foresters of the California Collegiate
GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- The world looked a lot different the last time Matt McLain and Sean McLain started in the same lineup on Aug. 10, 2020.
No longer with their college teams at UCLA and Arizona State, the Orange County natives joined the Santa Barbara Foresters of the California Collegiate League and helped take the club all the way to the championship game. Matt started at shortstop and led off with Sean playing to his right at third base and batting ninth in a starting lineup that included future Major Leaguers Christian Encarnacion-Strand, Jace Jung and Nick Nastrini. The brothers combined to go 5-for-10 with a homer, a double, three RBIs and three stolen bases in a 12-3 win over the Cheney Diamond Dawgs.
Needless to say, the McLains know a thing or two about playing together on loaded rosters dating back to their time at Beckman High School in Irvine. And while they thought that Foresters title game could be the last time they shared the diamond, baseball had other plans.
Now in the Reds and Dodgers organizations respectively, Matt and Sean started in the same lineup again Saturday, this time for Glendale in the Arizona Fall League at Goodyear Ballpark, with the former batting second and starting at second base and the latter batting fifth as the DH.
“It's been a while, and it might be the last time,” said Matt, 25. “It's just fun being out there.“
The McLain pairing is both serendipitous and unlucky.
Matt is the rare Fall Leaguer with Major League experience after playing 89 games for Cincinnati in 2023. Having finished fifth in NL Rookie of the Year voting, the middle infielder was expected to be a key contributor in the Reds’ youth movement, but he underwent left shoulder surgery in late March that knocked him out for the entire ‘24 Major League season.
As Cincy explored options to get him competitive at-bats before the year was out, the organization considered the six-week AFL campaign over other winter-ball options. It just so happened that Reds representatives were slated to go to Glendale, home of the Dodgers’ Spring Training complex.
“I wasn’t sure where I was going to go, and they added me last-minute,” Matt said. “I was fortunate to get the opportunity. Didn’t know if I was going to be with him or a different team, but just the fact that it happened like this is cool.”
It was still a process to get the older McLain, who struck out in all three of his at-bats on Saturday, into a spot where the Fall League could even be an option. Months of recovery and rehab were grueling for a player who had such high hopes for 2024, and that operation is still ongoing in the desert; before Saturday, McLain hadn’t played in nine days as he was still “ramping up” to playing shape. He had been hot before the layoff, going 4-for-6 with a homer and two doubles in his first two Desert Dogs games.
“I've learned a lot about myself, locked in the training room and not being able to play on the field,” he said. “It is not fun. The most important thing is being on the field and being available. So I learned that and to try to take care of my body in different ways and be ready to go next year.”
📩 CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO BEN'S BIZ
Sean, 23, has gone through his own injury issues before he’s even made his Major League debut. The 2022 fifth-rounder played in only eight Minor League games in 2023 after suffering a quad injury in his first Spring Training. He split 95 games this season between Single-A Rancho Cucamonga and High-A Great Lakes, finishing with a .215/.326/.337 line and six homers. He played all four infield spots in 2024 but has focused mostly on second and third in the Fall League.
The 5-foot-9 right-handed hitter went 0-for-2 with a walk and a stolen base in Saturday’s 1-0, seven-inning win over Salt River. He’s gotten more playing time than his sibling (eight games) and is also performing solidly (6-for-20, one homer, seven walks). But it’s one thing to share a clubhouse with new faces and exciting prospects. It’s another to share it with a guy you recognize from the backyard from 20 years ago.
“He’s hitting before me, so I’m asking him, ‘Hey, what’d you see?’” Sean said. “He’s giving me information on the guy, what his pitches look like. Now, I just try to go up there and hit it. It’s good to soak up information from him and learn from him.”
The Fall League is only one-third of the way through its season, so there could be more opportunities for the McLains to appear in the same lineup again. But any keen AFL observer might be playing a game of What If. The White Sox also sent their prospects to Glendale, and Chicago just happened to draft third McLain brother Nick in the third round out of Arizona State this past July. That particular sibling might have to wait for his Fall League turn.
“Nick’s not good enough yet,” Matt said, laughing. “He’ll get there, but not yet.”
Sometimes, you can’t turn off being a brother.
Sam Dykstra is a reporter for MiLB.com. Follow and interact with him on Twitter, @SamDykstraMiLB.
2025 PROMOTIONAL SCHEDULE!
FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The Fort Wayne TinCaps have announced their exciting 2025 promotional schedule, including fireworks, giveaways, theme games, and special appearances. With Opening Day at Parkview Field only 50 days away on Friday, April 4, tickets are on sale, starting at just $7. Fans can purchase their seats
RECAP: 'Caps Stay Hot, Win Again
Box Score SOUTH BEND, Ind. — The TinCaps have won eight of their last nine games after Wednesday afternoon's 8-4 victory over the South Bend Cubs at Four Winds Field. Left fielder Jacob Campbell led a 14-hit attack for the team with a 5-for-5 performance at the plate, finishing just
MWL PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Leo De Vries, Again
FORT WAYNE, Ind. – Fort Wayne TinCaps shortstop Leo De Vries has been named the Midwest League Player of the Week for a second consecutive week, Minor League Baseball announced Monday. The honor also comes on the heels of winning the Midwest League Player of the Month award for April.
MWL PLAYER OF THE MONTH: Leo De Vries
FORT WAYNE, Ind. – Fort Wayne TinCaps shortstop Leo De Vries has been named the Midwest League Player of the Month for April, Minor League Baseball announced Monday. Across 19 games, the No. 1 San Diego Padres prospect led the Midwest League in slugging percentage (.625) and on-base plus slugging
PSM BASEBALL CLASSIC: Tickets on Sale
FORT WAYNE, Ind. — Parkview Field, the home of the Fort Wayne TinCaps, will host a dozen high school and college baseball games, featuring 24 local teams, this April and May as part of the annual Parkview Sports Medicine Baseball Classic. Matchups will feature rival teams from around Northeast Indiana
260 TO THE SHOW: TinCaps Alums on Opening Day Rosters
FORT WAYNE, Ind. – As the 2025 Major League Baseball season commences, a total of 32 former TinCaps players appeared on MLB Opening Day rosters. Since Fort Wayne’s Minor League Baseball franchise was established in 1993, there have been 228 players who’ve ascended from playing in the Summit City to
HELP WANTED: Apply to Work for 2025 Season
FORT WAYNE, Ind. – A new season of Fort Wayne TinCaps baseball at Parkview Field begins April 4, so as Opening Day approaches, the team is hiring hundreds of part-time, seasonal employees. CLICK HERE TO APPLY Available positions range from working concessions to ballpark sanitation, The Orchard Team Store, and
WHERE TO WATCH: TinCaps Announce Broadcast Schedule
FORT WAYNE, Ind. – Fort Wayne TinCaps fans will again get the opportunity to follow their team wherever they go during the 2025 season. For a third consecutive season, the TinCaps are partnering with 21Alive to showcase select games on MyNetworkTV in the Fort Wayne area, beginning on Friday, April
NUEVO ESTILO: New Manzanas Luchadoras Style for 2025
FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The Fort Wayne TinCaps will have a new style for their Hispanic Heritage games in 2025. Playing as the Manzanas Luchadoras (“Fighting Apples” in Spanish), the new season brings a new style with fresh colors, a crisp newly designed jersey, and a vibrant new hat. As
NEW HOME JERSEY: Now on Sale
FORT WAYNE, Ind. – With Opening Day at Parkview Field less than a month away on Friday, April 4 (7:05 p.m.), the Fort Wayne TinCaps have unveiled a new home jersey for their 2025 season. The white jersey features a new block wordmark that’s dark green and outlined in bright
These Minor League promos are set to celebrate girls and women in sports in 2025
A great night at a Minor League Baseball game can instill a strong sense of community, and communities are at their best when they're able to welcome and empower people who have traditionally been sidelined. Baseball, like many sports, can still sometimes be so male-centric as to feel exclusionary, making
TinCaps shine a light on mental health issues
Back in 2022, the High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps front office posted a sign on the clubhouse wall. It featured a simple, but unusual request: Would any players want to speak publicly about mental health? The front office was not obligating anyone to do anything, and couldn’t predict what kind of
Get to know Padres player development's Allison Luneborg
PEORIA, ARIZ – Prospects like Ethan Salas and Jackson Merrill are a large part of why the Padres have the No. 4 farm system in baseball. But there are many folks behind the scenes who also help make the organization shine. One of them is Allison Luneborg. The Ohio native
Salas, Snelling highlight Padres' Organization All-Stars
Each offseason, MiLB.com goes position by position across each organization and honors the players -- regardless of age or prospect status -- who had the best seasons in each farm system. Next up in our 2023 Organization All-Stars series are the San Diego Padres. 2023 organization summary: Triple-A El Paso:
The Road to The Show™: Padres’ Snelling
Each week, MiLB.com profiles an elite prospect by chronicling the steps he's taken toward achieving his Major League dream. Here's a look at Padres fourth-ranked prospect Robby Snelling. For more stories about players on The Road to The Show, click here. With multiple options in front of him coming out
Casual Friday: Kate Flannery's MiLB-filled weekend
In the fictional world of the hit NBC sitcom “The Office,” Meredith Palmer is prone to mishaps, can be snarky and is known to enjoy a beverage or two. But Kate Flannery, the actress who portrayed the Dunder Mifflin employee for nine seasons, is nothing like her character. Just ask
The best of the Padres' Minor League ballparks
The Minor League Ballpark Guides series presented by Wyndham brings all the most fun features of Minors ballparks across America (and one in Canada!) onto your desktop, tablet or mobile device, whether you're interested in taking a virtual tour from where you sit or planning a trip to catch some
Wanna have a catch? MiLB celebrates Father's Day
"Hey, Dad, you wanna have a catch?" The timeless quote from "Field of Dreams" film resonates much deeper on a certain Sunday in June. Several teams around Minor League Baseball paid tribute to that moment by bringing out fans and their fathers to have a catch (or play catch, however
TinCaps, city of Fort Wayne honor AAGPBL club
On a warm June night in northeast Indiana, Fort Wayne's Parkview Field was full of daisies. The Daisies of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, to be exact. The High-A TinCaps honored the city's AAGPBL team on Saturday, wearing replica jerseys and unveiling a monument dedicated to the club that
Merrill leads way in new-look Padres system
Each offseason, MiLB.com goes position by position across each organization and honors the players -- regardless of age or prospect status -- who had the best seasons in each farm system. Next up in our 2022 Organization All-Stars series are the San Diego Padres.
And now, our ballpark feature presentation
What makes a Minor League ballpark unique? The food? The fans? The view? The answer to that query is, of course, all of the above. But perhaps above all, what makes a Minor League park unique are its stand-alone features, those architectural quirks, creative constructions and down-the-line additions that simply
Announcing... MWL Madness
LANSING, Mich. - The 16 ballclubs in the Class-A Midwest League today announced MWL Madness pitting the all-time greatest players from each franchise against one another in a celebration of the league’s history. “It is disappointing our Midwest League season will not start this week but certainly understandable,” said Midwest
TinCaps to Host Job Fair at Parkview Field
FORT WAYNE, Ind. - The Fort Wayne TinCaps are hosting a Job Fair at Parkview Field on Wednesday, March 11 (5-7 p.m.) and Thursday, March 12 (5-7 p.m.) in search of seasonal employees for the 2020 baseball season. Each year the TinCaps hire approximately 600 part-time workers to serve in
TinCaps Team with Ball State University Class
FORT WAYNE, Ind. -- Minor League Baseball is all about development. That applies not only to the players on the field, but on the front office side as well.