3rd McLain Brother Looking to Make Impact with White Sox
Nick McLain
Draft parties became a common occurrence for the McLain’s of Orange County. 2024 was no different despite cajoling from the youngest of the family as he waited to hear his name called. Nick McLain didn’t want to have a party during the Major League Baseball draft because “he doesn’t like those sorts of things.” Mike and Wendi McLain live in Irvine, California and their three sons are all on separate journeys as professional baseball players.
Bloodlines an Attraction for White Sox
Mike played football at UCLA and Wendi was an All-American softball and volleyball player as well so the athletic bloodlines run strong in the family. The oldest of the brothers’ McLain; Matt, was a first round pick of the Cincinnati Reds in 2021 and he posted a 3 fWAR season in the big leagues in 2023. The other McLain brother; Sean, is a Los Angeles Dodgers farmhand who was selected in the fifth round of the 2022 draft.
All three of the boys had a similar draft party in the same Irvine, California home. They also followed similar paths as amateur baseball players. All three played on the diamond at Arnold O. Beckman High School in Irvine. The public high school was named after the man who invented the PH scale and it serves over 3,000 students annually.
The boys also played separately for the Santa Barbara Foresters of the California Collegiate League before their journeys took them to the Wareham Gateman of the Cape Cod League as well. Matt played at UCLA while Sean played at Arizona State and Nick played at both spots in college. The youngest McLain hasn’t had the opportunity to play in the Arizona Fall League yet but his brothers were on the same Glendale Desert Dogs team this past fall too.
“I made all the same pit stops as Matthew and I was better than him at every stop,” said Nick McLain. The brothers are very competitive and it wouldn’t be a surprise if Matt holds the first round bonus as a trump card in all baseball related arguments.
The College Experience and Dealing With Adversity
Nick McLain chose to attend UCLA after starring as an Orange County prep while being a California high schooler. He was expecting to be a starter for the Bruins and that sort of thing was seen as a big deal in the McLain household. “I was eager to play my first year and start as a freshman because in my family you felt left out if you didn’t,” the outfielder said.
The injury was significant however and the youngest of the McLain troika ended up using a redshirt year as a freshman. What seemed like the worst case scenario at the time ended up working out for the player in the end. “The injury was a little bit of a blessing in disguise. I feel like I learned so much about myself, my body and my routine baseball wise. I got my legs back under me and got my confidence back,” said McLain. “I didn’t feel like myself at UCLA.”
Things worked out quickly for the 5-10, 190 pounder with the Sun Devils. “I went to ASU and I had a sick fall,” McLain said. “I broke my hamate bone right before the start of the season but I had won the center field spot. When I returned I played right field and I was really able to show off my arm.” The outfielder returned to hit .298/.391/.649 with eight homers over the course of 23 games as a sophomore.
White Sox and The Scouting Trail
Longtime White Sox’s area scout John Kazanas became familiar with McLain once he transferred to the four corners region of the country. Kazanas never saw McLain play in centerfield but he noted that playing the position shouldn’t be an issue initially. “I saw a very aggressive player who was very competitive,” Kazanas said. “I do my research on background and he has very strong makeup.”
“He’s from a baseball family with very competitive brothers,” said Kazanas. It’s a trait that the White Sox were drawn to in regards to background and makeup throughout the process. What type of prospect McLain would turn into was still a bit of a mystery however.
Like most players in a similar position to McLain, participating in the Cape Cod Baseball League became a necessity in early 2023. The switch-hitter followed in the footsteps of his older brothers and he suited up for the Wareham Gateman. While it was quite a culture shock for the California native, it turned out to be a beneficial experience overall.
“It was very interesting,” said McLain. “I’m from the Orange County and I’ve never been to the east coast. It was a good experience. It was lots of baseball which was good after missing a lot of my sophomore year. I actually did pretty well. I got a little tired toward the end and wasn’t used to playing that many games in a row,” McLain said. In those 26 games, the outfielder slashed .283/.378/.424 and clubbed four homers with wood bats.
McLain quickly made some friends on The Cape and he made sure to note that the coaches were great while he had the luxury of living with a tremendous host family throughout the season. The outfielder was able to play a bunch of baseball while leaving time to find a local Chipotle, Jersey Mike’s and Starbucks so that he’d feel a bit closer to home.
As a junior at Arizona State, the now 22-year-old hit .342/.457/.663 with 12 homers in 48 games. McLain posted a 14% walk rate while striking out just 11% of the time. It was a pretty telling performance by the California native because during that season, he also broke the hamate bone in his other wrist. “In my draft year I had another broken bone and came back in 25 days from a surgery which is pretty unheard of,” said McLain.
A White Sox Surprise on Draft Day
As the draft party was getting started at the McLain house, Nick prioritized some alone time with his dog. A call from his advisor at Boras Corporation quickly shifted the priorities however. “I took my dog for a walk at the start of day two,” said the outfielder. “My agent said 12 teams were talking to them and then he called me around pick 75 to tell me that I was getting drafted”. Similarly to the process with Matt and Sean, Nick joined his father to watch the selection get announced.
McLain was excited to see his friend and former South Carolina catcher Cole Messina officially get taken by the Colorado Rockies at pick #77 overall. The White Sox selected McLain with the next pick at #78 overall and the family rejoiced as they had their third draftee in the house officially. It’s unclear whether they had a Pale Hose hat on hand however as the then 21-year-old didn’t feel like he’d had much contact with the club from Chicago’s south side.
“I was at the combine and had 15-20 teams check in. The White Sox weren’t one of them. I talked to John Kazanas over the phone but I barely had any contact with the White Sox,” McLain said. “I had some interest from them out of high school too but they weren’t really on my radar at all.” The former Arizona State outfielder was excited to learn that spring training and rookie ball would take place in Glendale however.
Our Elijah Evans spoke to the third rounder after being selected by the White Sox.
While the slot amount at pick #78 came with an assigned bonus of $996,100, the White Sox reached an agreement to sign McLain for $800,000 while pooling their resources to sign fourth rounder Casey Saucke out of Virginia and fifth rounder Sam Antonacci out of Coastal Carolina as well. The scouting staff really wanted to add some college bats on day two and high-ranking club officials had been intrigued with this trio of players.
McLain reported to the Arizona facility after the draft and spent his time post-draft working out before participating in fall instructional league. The outfielder sustained yet another minor hand injury that kept him from heading out to an affiliate in 2024. All of the injuries are behind him to this point and his mental toughness has been tested so far.
“I’m really close with both of my brothers. Matthew is a big leaguer and is pretty good at what he does and Sean is pretty good at what he does and I went to Arizona State where he was and he helped get me through things,” said McLain. “My dad always taught us how to be mentally strong and we’re pretty mentally strong. You won’t see us throw something or get mad. Baseball is frustrating but we don’t show it on the field,” McLain said.
Navigating a Professional Career with White Sox
Scouting reports from prospect writers have noted that the switch-hitting Nick McLain possesses solid raw power from both sides of the plate with his .658 slugging percentage at Arizona State serving as evidence. The outfielder also pulls the ball in the air and manages the strike zone well. McLain was emphatic that he gained some weight and lost some speed during his final year in college after rushing back from surgery.
The White Sox believe that there’s more in the tank for McLain. “He really hasn’t been healthy and it really affected his hand strength. It should allow him to become an offensive threat,” said Kazanas. “His swing wasn’t real strong most of the time but he’s really a fighter and I like fighters”. McLain stated that his, “hittability, arm, defense and baseball IQ”, were strengths of his profile.
The Arizona State product will continue to switch-hit after he began that process as a junior in high school. McLain is very confident despite some of his health struggles and while he’s credited his baseball family admirably, he also believes that playing with older kids on the California baseball circuit aided his path as well. “You can always work on hitting. It’s going to get you paid and make you a big leaguer,” said McLain.
Playing at a full-season affiliate is an obvious goal for the player and it’s an expectation of the organization as well. “I’d say in game power is a focus and getting to that a bit more consistently. I want to steal more bases and get more consistent there too,” said McLain. Low-A Kannapolis seems like the initial launching point for a career that could take off quickly for the third rounder but heading straight to High-A wouldn’t be surprising either.
Center field reps should be available regardless and it would be behoove the White Sox to find out whether McLain can realistically play the position. “I take center field reps all the time,” said McLain. “Right field is fun and there’s more opportunity to throw people out but I’d love to be a center fielder”. It was clear during the discussion that the outfielder understands the career benefits related to staying in the middle of the diamond.
McLain had some praise for the White Sox’s hitting infrastructure as well. Since he’s completely healthy and working diligently to get ready for the season now, he’s also focused on some minor adjustments to his swing. “I’m trying to make my swing more efficient and really working to stay through the baseball,” McLain said. It was noteworthy though that even with the slight mechanical changes, the 22-year-old is much more focused on his approach than mechanics at the dish.
Potential White Sox Impact in Chicago
The third McLain brother is ready to start his professional career and his representative from the Scott Boras Corporation has prepared him for what to expect. The process hasn’t been incredibly smooth from the start but the outfielder feels like he’s in a good place. “I could’ve gone higher if I were healthy and played better but I’m happy with where I’ve ended up. Everyone always wants to go higher,” said McLain. “It’s a great opportunity and a great spot for me”.
While the youngest brother has never been to Chicago, he’s heard about one of America’s finest cities from his brother Matt and he’s eager to get there with some friends he’s met along the way. “I can’t wait to turn the whole thing around with this group of guys,” McLain echoed in reference to joining the other prospects that the organization has accumulated throughout this talent procurement phase.
It’s unclear where McLain’s makeup ranks on the 20-80 scale but it’s a premium trait, ever present in the White Sox’s scouting process overall. “I’m not a big leaguer yet so you can always get better,” the outfielder said. “I won’t be satisfied until I have a sweet house and a world series ring on my finger”. “I’m the third brother and I don’t like to lose.”
