The draft started with a run on college bats but now the top 20 guys ended up going top 20 overall, so there weren’t many surprises for the Diamondbacks. With the 25th pick on the board the team had a choice of Oklahoma OF Steele Walker, Virginia OF Jake McCarthy, Florida RHP Jackson Kowar, Canada prep C Noah Naylor, and USF LHP Shane McClanahan. The Diamondbacks elected to pass on all those guys and picked up Matt McLain from the high school ranks.
McLain was a fast-rising prospect late in the pre-draft process with Keith Law mocking him to the Diamondbacks in his most recent version. McLain is listed 5’10” 175 with above average running speed (reminds me of a super utility infielder that’s hitting below .200 this season) and solid defensive versatility. There’s no plus tool in his game, but very few weaknesses overall.