White Sox

White Sox Day Two 2024 MLB Draft Recap

By / / 2024 MLB Draft, Minors

The White Sox started the draft with a standout college pitcher and two high upside high school players on day one of the 2024 draft. Mike Shirley noted on Sunday that the organization had extended itself in regards to their bonus pool on the first day so it was expected that the club would be fairly college heavy with selections on day two.

Fans were sitting around waiting for a swing that didn’t come as the White Sox used picks six through ten on money saver selections and college seniors. It’s evident that Hagen Smith, Caleb Bonemer and Blake Larson would take up the vast majority of the team’s $14,593,300 bonus pool. With the overage that ownership has frequently committed to, the club can spend an additional $730K as well.

Here is pick-by-pick analysis on every player drafted today by the White Sox.

3rd Round 78th overall: OF Nick McLain (Arizona State University)

The White Sox started day two with a college hitter as most expected them to do. The younger brother of Reds infielder Matt McLain, Nick is a switch-hitting outfielder with plus contact skills and room to improve. Keith Law of The Athletic was the highest in the industry on Mclain as he ranked him at #89 overall. He’s the 129th ranked player at MLB Pipeline.

Mclain dealt with a hamate injury throughout the first half of his collegiate season but finished the year strong and was impressve on the Cape last summer. He profiles as a corner outfielder with a strong arm but not quite the athleticism to stick in center field. The outfielder triple slashed .342/.457/.663 with 33 walks and 27 strikeouts.

McLain has room to improve with time now that he’s fully healthy. He won’t be a high power player but showed some improved pop towards the end of the college season. He started to move up draft boards when he returned to the field late in the year and gets snagged in the third round by the Sox. He has shown the ability to minimize whiff while putting up some strong exit velocities for a player of his stature. The dream scenario is a slightly more powerful but less consistent contact version of his older brother.

The White Sox are very excited to land McLain and Mike Shirley professed that he was a target for the club. He stated that he’s a, “competitive kid from an athletic family” and he noted the same little brother theory in regards to competition that he evoked when discussing Grant Taylor in 2023. The scouting department had been tracking McLain since high school and Shirley said specifically that he expected the 21-year-old to “play above his tools”.

4th Round 107th Overall: OF Casey Saucke (University of Virginia)

The White Sox go with two college outfielders in a row as they take Virginia outfielder Casey Saucke in the fourth round. After an extremely impressive freshman campaign, Sauke’s numbers came down in his second year but he looked good this spring. The 21-year-old struggled with wood bats in the Cape Cod League but he bounced back this year to hit .344/.407/.578 for Virginia.

With a mature frame, Saucke offers potentially plus power as he develops but does come with some whiff concerns. His arm is strong which should make him a very capable right field option even though he does have infield experience. Baseball Prospectus ranked Saucke as high as #53 overall on their predraft list. He ranked at #127 overall for MLB Pipeline and #145 for Baseball America as well. Kiley McDaniel of ESPN ranked the former Cavalier at #103 overall.

He will need to make some adjustments to simplify the swing likley but a lot of bat speed and pop to utilize. For a system without much outfield depth, he’s an upside type of college hitter who should move quickly through the lower levels of the system. “We love the body. We love the athleticism and I think there’s hit and power,” said Mike Shirley. The scouting director also noted that Saucke was one of National Crosschecker Juan Alvarez’s favorite players in the class and he lauded the data readings and hitting mechanics from the outfielder as well.

5th Round 140th Overall: INF Sam Antonacci (Coastal Carolina University)

The run on college hitters for the White Sox continues as it will for much of the draft but this round they shift to the infield. Sam Antonacci was the one of the top junior college players in the country to transfer to a Division One program this spring.

He continued to excel once making his way his way to Coastal Carolina with elite contact skills and high effort play. He has minimal power but makes up for it with his contact skills and athleticism. He played shortstop in JUCO, but slid over to third for Coastal. He may be more of a second baseman with his profile.

He’s likely more of a utlility type of player but reminds me of Brooks Baldwin with less power to some extent. He barely whiffs at all, featuring an excellent approach for a player taken at this stage in the draft. Antonacci ranked at #193 for ESPN, #201 for MLB Pipeline and #299 at Baseball America. The Springfield, Illinois native hit .367/.523/.504 with 50 walks on the season.

He’s able to control the zone very well and gets on base at a frequent clip. Time will tell if his contact rates can remain high against big league offspeed, but he can hit fastballs well and makes contact all the way. Shirley complimented the Coastal Carolina program and noted that they create “professional guys who are grinders”. Antonacci can “really control the barrel, it’s gap power, good at-bats and bat control”, Shirley said.

Draft
Mike Shirley via White Sox Zoom

6th Round 169th Overall: C Jackson Appel (Texas A&M University)

The White Sox likely save substantive money with this pick as they selected fifth year senior catcher Jackson Appel. After spending four years at Penn, Appel transferred to Texas A&M where he showed his ability to manage a staff and hit for steady contact.

This pick is similar to Michael Turner as Appel will be a big help in catching young arms throughout the minors. His bat was impressive this year as he flashed some power and is sneaky athletic for a catcher. Mike Shirley lauded his leadership qualities on the conference call and Joe Doyle of Future Stars Series ranked him at #419 overall on his big board.

At the least, he’ll be a very solid catcher to have for depth but he has shown the ability to provide substantial value. He’s one of the more advanced players taken by Chicago and will immediately head to affiliated ball, possibly even finishing the year in High-A.

7th Round 199th Overall: RHP Phil Fox (University of Pittsburgh)

The first pitcher taken of the day is a reliever coming off an excellent season in the ACC. Phil Fox is primarily a fastball and slider pitcher who started at Gardner-Webb before transferring to Pitt prior to this season.

His numbers were excellent as a primary closing option for Pittsburgh. He features plenty of movement and fascinating spin on his two primary offerings. He is very fastball heavy and will need to further develop the secondaries as he progresses. He could move quickly through the system with advanced stuff out of the bullpen.

This pick reminds me of the Eric Adler pick two years ago and he should be a bullpen option as soon as 2026 potentially. He’ll get some innings down the stretch likely in Single-A Kannapolis and has room to see his stuff tick up more.

8th Round 229th Overall: RHP Aaron Combs (University of Tennessee)

The White Sox follow up their seventh round pick with another collegiate relief pitcher. Aaron Combs was a key cog in the bullpen for the national champions this season at Tennessee and closed out the College World Series this year.

He struck out 66 batters across 45.2 innings out of the bullpen, pitching in a variety of roles for the Volunteers. Utilizing primarily a fastball and slider, Combs could be in line to add more to his arsenal within the organization. He could be tried as a starter but is likely another high floor relief pitcher like Fox who should move quickly.

Having thrown in the biggest college games, Combs could instantly head to High-A but the Sox may be cautious with his arm given that he just finished his season a month ago. He has flashed closer upside in college and has a pretty high ceiling as a pitcher that faced SEC hitters throughout the spring.

9th Round 259th Overall: RHP Jack Young (University of Iowa)

Another college relief pitcher goes to the White Sox for the third pick in a row. Jack Young spent three years at Parkland College where he was dominant for stretches. He transferred to Iowa but made just eight apperances out of the bullpen.

He has a funky arm angle and delivery that creates a lot of run of his offerings. He profiles well as a change of looks middle reliever and seems to have more room to develop.

Young is more of an unknown commidity than other players taken in this draft given minimal high level college experience.

10th Round 289th Overall: OF Cole McConnell (Louisiana Tech)

The last pick of the day is another senior signing. Outfielder Cole McConnell just finished his career with Louisiana Tech. He had an impressive collegiate career and flashed a well-rounded offensive game.

He was one of the best players in the USA Confrenece over the past few seasons and his game could translate well to the next level. He should have a shot to remain in center field longterm.

For the fifth straight pick, the White Sox went with someone who should be a significant underslot signing. Despite playing in a smaller conference though, McConnell produced his entire collegiate career and flashed signs of a future upside outfielder.