(Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
First baseman Joey Votto is a Cincinnati Reds legend.
Since getting his call-up in 2007, he has only played for the Reds and has accumulated 345 home runs and a .926 OPS in his storied career.
That’s why anything that young Reds infielder Matt McLain can do similarly, it will be received with open arms by the organization.
If you are looking for similarities, then look at this bit of data by Reds stats expert Joel Luckhaupt.
“Fun comp of first 37 career games: Matt McLain: .325/.380/.541, 11 doubles, 5 HR. Joey Votto: .325/.353/.530, 9 doubles, 5 HR,” he tweeted.
Fun comp of first 37 career games:
Matt McLain: .325/.380/.541, 11 doubles, 5 HR
Joey Votto: .325/.353/.530, 9 doubles, 5 HR
— Joel Luckhaupt (@jluckhaupt) June 26, 2023
If that’s not promising for McLain, we don’t know what is.
We are not saying McLain will go on to have a borderline Hall-of-Fame career like Votto: nobody knows what kind of player he will be once big league pitchers adjust to him and he adjusts back.
However, this small 37-game sample to start his career does tell us some things.
One, McLain is capable of hitting for a high batting average.
He is at .325 right now and was at .348 during a brief stint in Triple-A.
Two, he has some serious pop, with 11 doubles, four triples, and five homers.
And three, he will get the chance to learn from the man himself, as Votto remains active and just returned from the injured list.
We are sure Votto is more than happy to impart wisdom and help make an already strong Reds young core even better.
The Reds are here to stay, and McLain will be part of that exciting process.
As long as his body allows it, Votto will be there to guide him.
The post Matt McLain Is Copying Joey Votto In The Best Way appeared first on The Cold Wire.