As they were growing up, Cincinnati Reds shortstop Matt McLain and New York Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe were both the star players on every team they ever played on. McLain, from California, and Volpe, from New Jersey, were first-round picks out of high school. McLain ended up playing college baseball at UCLA, but their paths crossed again in 2022 when they were two highly-ranked shortstop prospects playing at the Double-A level.
Now, as the Reds face the Yankees this weekend, McLain (23) and Volpe (22) are two of the eight youngest shortstops in MLB. Volpe got a six-week head start on his MLB career as he opened the year as the Yankees’ starting shortstop, and McLain made his MLB debut last Monday.