While ASU baseball has been known to produce MLB talent like San Fransico Giants legend Barry Bonds, Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Merrill Kelly and Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Austin Barnes, another Sun Devil has been drafted out of Tempe.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!While the first round of the 2024 MLB Draft breezed by on Sunday, Monday saw the Chicago White Sox select outfielder Nick McLain with the No. 78 pick in the third round.
Adding to the record books of #MLBU ????
Congrats to Nick McLain on being drafted 78th overall by the Chicago White Sox!#MLBU /// #ForksUp pic.twitter.com/sn4aHQJ9Pc
— Sun Devil Baseball (@ASU_Baseball) July 15, 2024
Redshirting during his first two seasons at ASU, McLain saw his numbers spike up dramatically from year to year despite suffering hand injuries.
Transferring from UCLA after the 2022 season without playing a game, the 5-foot-10, 185-pound outfielder started in all 23 games he appeared as a freshman in 2023, boasting a .298 AVG., eight home runs and 24 RBIs. He suffered a broken right hamate which caused him to miss an extended period of time in his first season in Arizona.
This past season, he had a breakout year and quickly became one of the best hitters on the Sun Devils. The California native batted .342 as well as totaling 12 homers and 54 RBIs in 48 games (47 starts). On the other hand, he broke his left hamate this past year.
The McLain last name has been prevalent in the MLB, with his brothers Matt who was selected as the No. 17 pick by the Cincinnati Reds in 2021 and Sean who was drafted in the fifth round by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2022.
“When healthy, he’s a switch hitter who has the chance to provide a combination of average hit and power tools,” his MLB.com scouting report said. “He’s better from the left side of the plate, but he’s shown the ability to drive the ball from both sides, and the power started to show up more the further removed from the hamate injury he got, homering in five straight games at the beginning of May.
“When McLain first got to ASU, he ran a little better and showed some acumen for playing center field. He’s gotten a little stockier and slowed down a bit, though the added strength has resulted in that uptick in pop. He probably fits best in a corner now, and his strong arm would profile well in right. A strong and healthy finish could help vault him into the top five rounds.”
Heading to the White Sox, Chicago is the worst team in the league with a 27-71 record. In the outfield currently, they have former Diamondback Tommy Pham, Luis Robert Jr. and Andrew Benintendi among others.
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Reporter Alec Cipollini covers ASU Athletics, Phoenix Mercury and more for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on his X account, @AlecCipollini
