MacLaren's obituary in "The Times" stated that he was "one of the outstanding opening batsmen of all time". As a batsman, he had a reputation for stylishness, but his technique was based on scoring runs safely. He always tried to seize the initiative in a game. Batting with his head slightly raised, he drew his bat back unusually far, which provided the power to his shots, and in particular his drives. He scored runs quickly, mainly through his ability to score from good length balls. When playing a shot, he either stepped right forward or moved far back in the batting crease and having hit the ball, he followed through with the bat, often holding his pose for effect. These qualities, and his quick footwork, made him effective on difficult batting pitches. One of his most highly regarded shots was the hook. In later years, Cardus described the shot: "To see MacLaren hook a fast ball ... from the front of his face, was in those days an experience which thrilled me like heroic poetry; he didn't merely hook the ball, he dismissed it from his presence." Cardus, for whom MacLaren was a boyhood hero, wrote prolifically about him in later years; he called one such essay on MacLaren "The Noblest Roman", and judged him among the best of all batsmen. Gideon Haigh suggests: "If ever a cricketer was the creation of a single writer, it is MacLaren, the luminous majesty with which he is associated owed in very large degree to his youthful acolyte Neville Cardus." MacLaren was also a highly proficient fielder, initially in the outfield but later at slip.