Nick McLain

After securing two prepsters to round out day one of the 2024 draft, the White Sox selected outfielder Nick McLain from Arizona State University. The 22-year-old is a switch hitter coming off back-to-back strong seasons in the Pac-12 and is the younger brother of Cincinnati Reds standout, Matt McLain.

In 2023, McLain missed the first half of the season with a left hamate injury before returning to have a very strong second half. The then redshirt Freshman slashed .298/.391/.649 with eight homers and a 138 wRC+ over 110 PA. In 2024, he missed the month of February with another hamate injury, this time affecting his right hand. However, like 2023, he returned and put-up huge numbers, slashing .332/.448/.652 with a 153 wRC+ and a 3.6 WAR. With 4.2 Defensive Runs Saved, McLain was also a solid defender manning right field for the Sun Devils.

In general, McLain’s profile is one that doesn’t have an elite, carrying tool, rather almost everything is above average. In 2024, he walked more than he struck out (14.3% vs. 11.7%), hit for power (.321 ISO), avoided hitting groundballs (34%), got his pull-side batted balls in the air (66%), and only whiffed on 18% of his swings. He also showcased 340 plate appearances of over 1.000 OPS-production in a Power-5 conference through his college career and is a true switch hitter after hitting .339 with a 1.086 OPS vs right-handers and .317 with a 1.125 OPS vs southpaws – these are the clear strengths.

The tools that are closer to (but still above) league average that prevented him from sneaking in as a day-one pick are his 85.5% In-Zone Contact rate, 103 mph 90th percentile Exit Velocity, 6.3% Barrel rate, and a 111 SD+ (swing decision score on the “plus” scale, 100 = league average).

The one concern for McLain is elevated swing and miss vs Fastballs, an issue that is not present with off-speed or breaking balls (12% Whiff on all non-Fastballs in 2024). He had a 23% Whiff rate on Fastballs (D1 league average = 18%) last season. The problem was more extreme vs. plus velocity (93+ mph), as he hit .167 with a 28% Whiff rate on these pitches over his two seasons at ASU. More specifically, he struggled with high Fastballs.

Of all draft eligible hitters that walked more than they struck out in 2024, McLain’s .321 ISO was the 15th best in that group. In 2023, his ISO was .351, and the common denominator is that both seasons were immediately following a hamate injury which may mean there is more in the tank here.

In 119 Cape Cod League plate appearances last summer, McLain hit .283/.378/.424 (.802 OPS) with 4 homers, showcasing some solid wood bat production.

Casey Saucke

Where Nick McLain is a balanced prospect without an ultra-loud tool or two, Casey Saucke represents a riskier proposition that has raw attributes that likely set him up for a higher ceiling. He’s coming off a 2024 season where he slashed .344/.407/.578 in a season that culminated in at the College World Series with the University of Virginia.

As a freshman in 2022, Saucke produced immediately, putting up a 1.029 OPS and a 143 wRC+ in 217 PA – an impressive debut for a Freshman in the ACC. However, the underlying concerns were his 29% strikeout rate that came because of a 78% Zone-Contact (18th percentile), 24% Chase (24th percentile), and a 34% Whiff (7th percentile). 2023 saw him cut that strikeout rate by over 11%, but his production suffered as he only had a .810 OPS and a 103 wRC+. 2024 represented Saucke’s happy medium with an 18% strikeout rate and a 128 wRC+. His Zone-Contact rate was up to 86%, an 8% improvement from his freshman year, but the propensity to chase was still present at 29%.

Some other present concerns are Saucke’s sub-10% walk rate, and a below average Pull Air%, meaning he’s hitting to many of his pull side batted balls on the ground, and finally a low swing decision score that tracks with his high Chase rate.

It’s Saucke’s quality of contact that get you excited. His 90th percentile exit velocity (a more predictive measurement of future performance than average or maximum exit velocity) in 2024 was 108.7 mph which is, for reference, a tick higher than those of first-rounders Travis Bazzana and James Tibbs. He also put up a strong Barrel% (13%) and Bat Speed (70 mph). These are the traits that the Sox are banking on developing into more consistent in-game power.

Defensively, Saucke was slightly below league average in RF (-0.7 DRS).

Featured image courtesy of Sun Devil Athletics