As players continue to wind their way through professional baseball, one thing they hear a lot is to trust the process. Put your work in every day, give yourself the best chance you can to have success, compete as hard as you can, then let the chips fall where they may.
Sounds easy, but baseball is hard, and it’s not as easy as Sean McLain, an infielder in the Dodgers organization, makes it look.
One of the big reasons McLain makes handling the everyday challenge of baseball look so easy is that he grew up with two brothers who are both in professional baseball. Matt, his older brother, is already in the Major Leagues, and Nick is in A Ball, so Sean had to learn how to compete at an early age if he wanted to win… at anything!
And if you know anything at all about Sean McLain, he doesn’t just want to win anything; he wants to win everything.
As he puts it, when they were growing up, it didn’t matter what it was, the 3 brothers were always competing.
Yeah, it was golf, tennis, basketball, Lacrosse, I mean we played all the sports growing up. Whoevers day it was, that’s who won, but we’re all pretty even when it comes to being athletic and having the ability to play multiple sports.
Sean and his brother Matt both got to play in the same game during Spring training, and on the same team in the Arizona Fall League, and those are experiences he’ll never forget.
Oh yeah, that was pretty special. It’s always special any chance I get to play with him, whether he’s on the other team or alongside him like we did in the Fall League, it’s very special to have that opportunity.
So that was cool, and I made a really good play on defense against one of Matthew’s teammates, so that was cool too.
Background
McLean grew up in Irvine, California, as one of the best players in the region, and helped Beckham High pile up a 26-4-1 record and a Pacific Coast League Championship.
He had made himself one of the better players in Southern California, and after a great prep career, chose Arizona State when it came time to choose a college.
His freshman year at ASU was 2020, so he saw very limited action, but he busted onto the scene in 2021. In that year, his Sophomore year, he hit .322, and had a 23-game hit streak, which tied with former Dodger, Andre Ethier’s streak back in 2003.
He was awarded as a Collegiate Baseball News freshman All-American, an ABCA All-West Region first team selection at second base, and an honorable All-Pac-12 choice.
He followed that up by hitting .333 in 2022, had an on-base percentage of .430 and he scored 57 runs in 56 games.
During the Summer after the 2022 season, he got drafted in the 5th Round, and that’s when he decided to become a pro.
Here is McLain on his time at Arizona State and why he chose to be a Sun Devil.
I just wanted to go somewhere where I could develop and become the best baseball player I could. So, I went to Arizona State, I thought it was the right coaching staff, and it turned out to be.
I enjoyed my 3 years there, and it was a really good spot for me, so I was able to mature and become a better baseball player there.
Gym Rat
McLain has a carrying tool on the field, which is his defense, but he also has a carrying trait, and that is that he LOVES baseball. He eats, sleeps, and drinks baseball, and no one is going to put more into the off-the-field process than he is.
When asked how he developed that trait, here’s what he said.
I think my dad! My dad instilled in me when we were young to just compete every day in any sport. I have an older brother who kicks my butt, and I’m lucky to have that because my older brother taught me how to take it on the chin, and work harder and get better, so I’m very thankful for that.
Pro Ball and Quad Injury
McLain got drafted in the 5th Round of the 2022 draft, but fought injuries for his short season after being drafted and then his first full pro season in 2023. He loves baseball, and if given a choice, being on a baseball field is where he would choose pretty much every day and twice on Sundays. Baseball has turned into an identity for him, so when he injured his quad and only played in 8 games in 2023, it was very hard on him
He had to basically rewire his brain, and take all of his carrying tool traits, and apply them elsewhere, something that was a learning process, but also something he accomplished.
McLain kept grinding and rehabbing, and finally got a full bill of health in 2024 and so far in all of 2025 as well.
Here’s what he had to say about that process.
Yeah, to be honest with you, it sucked. I kind of felt worthless because I wasn’t myself. I couldn’t be a baseball player, so I had to be a good person, a good boyfriend, and other stuff like that.
I had to take my identity off of just being a baseball player. I couldn’t get competitive on the baseball field, so I had to get competitive in other areas like the training room.
The Tools
McLain plays Major League caliber defense right now, that’s not debatable, and he can make every play, and make it look easy. He is very good at coming in on the ball both ways, and he can also go deep in the hole to make plays while showing a quick release and a strong arm.
The speed at which McLain makes it to the Major Leagues will likely come down to how much impact he can make on the offensive side. He has always been a good hitter, as his career at Arizona State would show, but admits that his offense so far at the professional level needs to get better.
The offensive game needs to improve for sure, and I’m working on it very hard. I’m working with Blake, our hitting coach, and I’m getting after it every day. I know I’m not going to wake up tomorrow, and I’m all of a sudden going to be in the Big Leagues, or even AAA, so it’s definitely something that is going to take time. It’s gonna take a lot of reps in the cages, and I’m doing that, and I’m just trying to take it day by day, and I just try to win every day.
McLain doesn’t see himself as someone who is going to hit 20 or 30 home runs, he sees himself as someone whose gonna hit the ball from gap to gap. He says that it comes down to the pitcher and the matchup and those types of variables, and that he sees himself as being very “hitterish” and hitting the ball around the yard, and stealing more bases.
McLain can play anywhere in the infield but prefers shortstop, and can also play outfield.
Finishing Up
As an editorial, McLain is my type of player. He’s tough, he’s gritty, he loves the everyday process of baseball, and working on his game is a passion. So, you can bet he will not stop until he’s reached his goal, which is to be the next big leaguer in the McLain family.
It was an honor to get to meet and interview Sean, so big thanks to him for spending time with Dodgers Daily.
It’s a Great Day to be a Dodger!
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