Reds notes: An underrated piece of Matt McLain's development

GOODYEAR, Ariz. — Matt McLain and Edwin Arroyo both spent long chunks of last season at the Reds’ spring training complex in Arizona. They both had shoulder surgery and were rehabbing.

Arroyo felt good about the hard work that he was putting in. And still, every time Arroyo got to the gym, McLain was already there.

“He can work,” Arroyo said.

Something that doesn’t get talked about enough with McLain is how he’s a workout warrior. Over the last three years, he has gone from a scrawny middle infielder to a player who’s capable of hitting 30 home runs in a season.

“Obviously, I’m not a bigger guy, so I’ve got to be strong,” McLain said. “Either you’re big and you’re naturally strong, or you’ve got to build it. I’ve got to build it.”

This is what McLain looked like in 2022.

“I’ve only gained like five-or-10 pounds since then,” McLain said. “I might have had a big jersey.”

This is what he looks like in 2025.

“People say that because I’m stronger,” McLain said, keeping it short. “I like to lift weights.”

At times last year, he was asked to dial it back. The Reds don’t need McLain to look like Ja’Marr Chase. The Reds need McLain on the field.

Still, McLain doesn’t get enough credit for his athleticism. It’s something that he has worked at, and it’s a big part of what makes him a true five-tool player.

Terry Francona’s approach to a classic baseball debate

Terry Francona knows what the numbers say: Pitchers aren’t as good when they face the lineup a third time through.

“I feel an obligation to know what the numbers are,” Francona said. “Saying that, if a guy is pitching good…”

He sounds more open to having pitchers go deeper into games.

Francona said that you may not get a real feel for the way he handles starting pitching decisions in April as pitchers are still getting their season legs under them.

“Once they’re built up enough, if you feel like they deserve it, they’ll get a chance to “(face the order a third time),” Francona said. “We want to see who can do it. I don’t just take a guy out because that’s the third time through the order. If guys learn how to do that and maneuver their way through, it’s amazing. If your starter stays out there for six, you have a pretty damn good chance to win. And you’re saving a guy in the bullpen. It goes a long way.”

“I know what the analysts are going to say,” Francona said. “When you’ve got 162 games, it really helps pitchers learn how to pitch. Hopefully, guys take that and run with it.”

Best rotation depth

The Reds have nine starters in camp who have shown that they can have success at the big league level, two intriguing prospects at the Triple-A level in Chase Petty and Connor Phillips as well as 2024 first-round pick Chase Burns.

“If things happen where it gets wobbly, we have more depth than we’ve ever had in the minor leagues,” pitching coach Derek Johnson said. “All of those things have to come together. We have to perform. But it’s exciting.”

Relief prospect Zach Maxwell makes a first impression

Facing McLain the other day in a live BP, Zach Maxwell got the second baseman to swing at a high fastball. The only problem for McLain was that Maxwell actually threw a low breaking ball.

Maxwell has terrific stuff and one of the biggest arms in the organization. As you’d expect, he needs to get better at throwing strikes. He turned heads in a live BP against some of the Reds’ best hitters on Wednesday.

“It was pretty fun to watch,” Francona said. “He’s a really interesting kid. Big, big arm. With guys like that, and I’d put Luis Mey sort of in the same category. You see guys in the Minor Leagues where maybe their numbers don’t blow you away. Maybe they’re not commanding yet like they need to to pitch here. As they learn to do that, when it clicks, all of a sudden you’re looking at guys who can pitch toward the back of the game. I’d put both of those guys in that category.”

There’s a competition for the final spot in the Reds’ bullpen that includes the starters who don’t make the rotation (potentially Graham Ashcraft, whose stock as a starter has improved this spring, or Carson Spiers), Yosver Zulueta, Ian Gibaut, Bryan Shaw, Alex Young, Josh Staumont and others along with two dynamic prospects in Maxwell and Mey.

“I’d never say (Maxwell and Mey) are not in the mix,” Francona said. “What we want to make sure we do correctly is, you want to give a guy when they get here the best chance to stay here. They are competing. You want to be careful that six or eight innings (in spring training) doesn’t cloud it. There’s nothing wrong with sending a guy to Triple-A for a while. We’ve all seen it. Guys have a great spring and make the club and then a month later… I’m not making decisions, just talking as honestly as I can.”