While ASU baseball has produced players who have made it to the major leagues, such as the legendary Barry Bonds of the San Francisco Giants, pitcher Merrill Kelly of the Arizona Diamondbacks, and catcher Austin Barnes of the Los Angeles Dodgers, another Sun Devil has been drafted out of Tempe.
While the first round of the 2024 MLB Draft went smoothly on Sunday, outfielder Nick McLain was selected by the Chicago White Sox with the 78th choice in the third round on Monday.
Despite having hand problems throughout his first two seasons as a redshirt at ASU, McLain’s stats increased significantly each year.
The 5-foot-10, 185-pound outfielder, who transferred from UCLA during the 2022 season without appearing in a game, started all 23 of his games as a freshman in 2023, finishing with an impressive.298 AVG, eight home runs, and 24 RBIs. His first season in Arizona was marred by a fractured right hamate that kept him out of action for a long while.
He enjoyed a breakthrough season this past season, becoming as one of the Sun Devils’ top hitters. In 48 games (47 starts), the California native batted.342 with 12 home runs and 54 RBIs. However, this past year he broke his left hamate.
With his brothers Matt, who was chosen by the Cincinnati Reds with the No. 17 selection in 2021, and Sean, who was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the fifth round in 2022, the McLain surname has been quite common in Major League Baseball.
His MLB.com scouting report stated, “When healthy, he’s a switch hitter who has the potential to provide a combination of average hit and power tools.” “He’s more proficient on the left side of the plate, but he’s demonstrated that he can drive the ball from either side, and the further away from the hamate injury he sustained, the more power he showed, homering in five straight games at the start of May.
McLain raced a little bit better and demonstrated some centre fielding aptitude when he initially arrived at ASU. Although his speed has decreased and he has grown a touch stockier, the increase in pop is due to his increased power. His strong arm would profile nicely on the right, but right now he probably suits best in a corner. He might move into the top five rounds with a solid and healthy finish.
With a 27-71 record going into the White Sox game, Chicago is the weakest team in the league. They presently have Andrew Benintendi, Tommy Pham, Luis Robert Jr., and Tommy Pham, a former Diamondback.
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