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Matt McLain 2026 Fantasy Baseball Outlook: Power and Speed with Average and Playing Time Risk
Matt McLain struggled in 2025, hitting .220/.300/.343 with 15 homers and 18 steals across 577 plate appearances. His biggest issue was a 28.9 K% driven by his passive plate approach. McLain's 26 percent chase rate and 11.2 SwStr% weren't that bad, but his 43 Swing% led to too many called strikes. McLain's 17.2 LD% also dragged his BABIP down to .292, though we don't have enough data on the 26-year-old to know his baseline yet. McLain's contact quality declined relative to his 2023 rookie season, as he lost nearly a full tick of average airborne exit velocity (94.4 mph to 93.5) while his rate of Brls/BBE fell from 10.8 percent to 7.2 percent. McLain's HR/FB was nearly cut in half (17.4 percent to 9.9 percent). McLain was successful on 90 percent of his steal attempts and could push 20 homers, so he has fantasy upside. However, playing time is no longer secure with Sal Stewart expected to receive 2B reps during Spring Training. Similarly, McLain's batting average could be a deal breaker in fantasy. Consider McLain a high-risk, medium-reward play at his 213.33 ADP.
