White Sox Prospect Season Recap: No. 23, Nick McLain

The 2024 season for the Chicago White Sox was one of the worst in modern day baseball history. They were 41-121 and the worst team in the league by far. The bright spots were few and far between, as the team was very hard to watch for many White Sox fans. 

However, down on the farm, the White Sox have some very intriguing players that can give fans a glimmer of hope for the future. We will be recapping the seasons of some of the best prospects in the White Sox system, starting from #30 and going in order to #1 as MLB Pipeline has them ranked. As you’ll see, there are some very intriguing prospects that can help bring the White Sox back to relevance.

Ranked at 23 on the White Sox top 30 prospect list is outfielder Nick McLain, the second member of the 2024 draft class that we have covered to this point. The White Sox selected him in the 3^rd round out of Arizona State, as he had a very solid season for the Sun Devils last year.

McLain has strong baseball pedigree, as he is the brother of Cincinnati Reds infielder Matt McLain, as well as Sean McLain, who was selected in the top five rounds by the Dodgers just a few years ago. Hopefully Nick will follow in the footsteps of his brothers, as Matt got off to a tremendous start in 2023 for the Cincinnati Reds and looks to be a player with all-star potential. 

McLain was ranked as the 129th prospect on MLB Pipeline in the pre-draft process. This ranking comes after hitting .342 with 12 homeruns and 54 RBIs last season at Arizona State. He also had an insane .663 slugging to go with a 1.120 OPS. This is a very solid pick for the White Sox, as these stats aren't usually associated with third round picks.

Unfortunately, Nick did not get a chance to play in any affiliated ball for the White Sox this year, as 2025 will be his first season for professional baseball. If Chris Getz follows the same path with McLain as he did with Casey Saucke, who was selected a round later, McLain will likely start the season off with Winston-Salem, unless he is rehabbing an injury, then they will likely take it slow with him to start the year. 

Since McLain was a college bat, he likely will move through the system pretty quickly, as college bats have done in the past for the White Sox. McLain has some very solid bat to ball skills, as that seemed to be a trait that Getz targeted in last year’s draft. If McLain gets off to a hot start, don’t be surprised if you see Getz get aggressive with his promotions, as he could make his way to AA to have him face the best competition. 

The White Sox are lacking in position player prospect depth, so McLain performing well could be huge for the team, as there aren’t many prospects, if any, that are slotted into the outfield long term for the White Sox. If McLain plays well, he could put himself in the conversation for a long-term position in Chicago.