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Six Sun Devils Selected in 2022 MLB Draft

by thesundevils.com
Jul 18, 2022

PHOENIX – Six members of the Sun Devil Baseball program heard their names called as part of the 2022 MLB Draft. 
 
Joe Lampe (3rd Round/Cleveland Guardians/92nd overall) and Sean McLain (5th Round/Los Angeles Dodgers/165th overall) became the 460th and 461st all-time selection for the Sun Devils in the Major League Draft with their Day Two Selections.
 
The final day of the draft was capped with four more Sun Devils coming off the board in Nate Baez (Minnesota Twins/12th Round/354thoverall), Kyle Luckham (Washington Nationals/15th Round/441st overall), Adam Tulloch (Cleveland Indians/15th Round/451st overall) and Ethan Long (San Francisco 49ers/20th Round/616th overall), bringing ASU's all-time tally of draft selections to 465 (including secondary phase and January drafts throughout history).
 
The six total selections were the most for the Sun Devils since 2015 (9), though that came over the course of a 40-round draft compared to the 20-round edition this year. It was the fifth straight year ASU has produced at least five draft picks – a feat the program has accomplished in all but seven seasons throughout history.

ASU and the MLB Draft share a special connection since the event started in 1965. ASU has had more draft selections (465) and number one overall picks (4) than any other school in the country. 
 
Lampe and McLain became the 10th and 11th Sun Devils to be drafted in the Top-10 rounds of the draft in the last five seasons and the 69th and 70th to go in the Top-10 rounds since 2000.
 
Lampe was ASU's 26th selection in the first three rounds of the draft since 2000. 
 
With the selections of Lampe and McLain, ASU has had at least one Top-10 round pick in all but four drafts (2017, 2014, 2002, 1970) since the MLB Draft began in 1965.
 
The Sun Devils have been glutton with talent at shortstop through the years as McLain adds his name to recent MLB Draft success out of ASU at the position following the lead of Drew Swift (Round 8, 2021), Alika Williams (Round 1, 2020), Colby Woodmansee (Round 5, 2016), Drew Stankiewicz (Round 11, 2014), Deven Marrero (Round 1, 2012), Andrew Romine (Round 5, 2007), Dustin Pedroia (Round 2, 2004) and current Sun Devil head coach Willie Bloomquist (Round 3, 1999) as part of the illustrious list in the past two-plus decades. 
 
All told, 10 of the last 13 primary starting shortstops (since Bloomquist in 1999) have gone in the first 15 rounds of the MLB Draft with eight of those going in the Top-8 rounds.
 
Lampe became the third Sun Devil center fielder to go in the first five rounds in the last five drafts, joining Hunter Bishop (No. 10 overall in 2019) and Gage Canning (5th round in 2018). 
 
In addition to the six current members of the roster that were drafted, four Sun Devil signees for the 2022-23 campaign also heard their names called – highlighted by the fourth-overall pick, Termarr Johnson, by the Pirates. Cedric De Grandpre (Atlanta Braves/13th Round/395thoverall), Shane Murphy (Chicago White Sox/14th Round/431st overall) and Isaiah Jackson (Houston Astros/18th Round/553rd overall) were also selected.
 
Joe Lampe – Redshirt Sophomore – Outfielder 
Guardians – 3rd Round – 95th overall

  • Joe Lampe was a spark plug for the Sun Devils since he stepped foot on campus last year and that continued this season.
  • Lampe had a season-long 21-game hitting streak which was tied for the third-longest at ASU since 2010 as he became just the fourth Sun Devil since 2010 to record a 20-game hit streak in a season ('10 Riccio Torrez (26), '21 Sean McLain (23), '19 Spencer Torkelson (21)).
  • He bat .340 this season (12th in the Pac-12 prior to NCAA tourney) and led the way with 60 runs – 6th in the Pac-12 ahead of the tournament
  • Lampe was second on the team with 41 RBIs this year.
  • He slugged .590 this season - good for 9th in the Pac-12 prior to the NCAA tournament.
  • He finished with 22 doubles, which was tied for the Pac-12 lead prior to the NCAA tournament and tied for the eighth most at ASU since 1998.
  • With 22 doubles and 12 homers, he joined teammate Nate Baez as the first Sun Devils to reach the 20 and 10 mark since Riccio Torrez in 2010 (27 and 1) and the duo is the first pair to do so in the same season since at least 1998.
  • His power numbers were especially notable as he had 37 extra-base hits this season (22 doubles, 3 triples, 12 homers) - third in the Pac-12 and just six off the league lead despite not competing in the NCAA tourney. It's especially notable as he had 20 for the entirety of the 2021 campaign and he has more than doubled his home run output from last year (13 doubles, 4 triples, 3 homers).
  • His 151 total bases were 40th in the country prior to the NCAA Tournament and third in the league. 
  • His 17 stolen bases were fourth in the Pac-12 ahead of the tournament. 
  • Lampe finished with the Top-10 in the league prior to the NCAA Tournament in runs (60), hits (87), doubles (22), stolen bases (17), triples (3), homers (12) and slugging (.590). He and Oregon State's Pac-12 Player of the Year Jacob Melton were the only Pac-12 players to rank in the Top-10 in all seven of those categories. 
  • He had just one error on 149 defensive chances, recording 144 putouts and four assists. He was one of just 8 players in the Pac-12 with over 130 defensive chances with one or fewer errors and the only centerfielder with such a claim prior to the NCAA tournament.
  • His 148 putouts/assists were third among Pac-12 center fielders (Arizona's Mac Bingham (172) and Oregon's Colby Shade (152)). He was the last of the Pac-12 centerfielders to not commit an error, with his only one coming in the 37th game of the season, and that remains the fewest among centerfielders in the league.

Sean McLain – Redshirt Sophomore – Infielder
Dodgers – 5th Round – 165th overall

  • Sean McLain was named Pac-12 Player of the Week following a 4-0 week against Santa Clara and a sweep of USC after batting .688 and leading the team in runs and RBIs.
  • McLain became a staple in the Sun Devil infield and batting order last season en route to being named a freshman All-American, Pac-12 All-Conference selection and ABCA All-West Region pick. McLain entered the season as the No. 33 overall collegiate prospect in the 2022 class, according to Baseball America. 
  • McLain had the longest reached-base streak of the Sun Devils this season at 22.
  • McLain finished with a .333 average on the year (third on the team) and was fourth on the roster with 34 RBIs.
  • He was second on the team with 57 runs prior to the NCAA Postseason - sixth in the Pac 12.
  • McLain drew 21 walks and a team-high 21 HBP -  the most in the Pac-12 and 14th nationally prior to the NCAA Postseason - giving him a  team-high .430 OBP over his .333 average. The 21 times he was hit by a pitch are third-most at ASU since 1998. 
  • The redshirt sophomore was one of ASU's best hitters with two outs with a .338 average on 24-of-71 hitting and was second on the squad with 16 two-out RBIs - nearly half of his 34 on the year. 
  • He was one of ASU's few reliable options with a runner on third with less than two outs, recording an RBI 14-out-of-16 times - three more than any other player and an .875 record mark that was tops among those with at least seven opportunities. Part of that is thanks to his five sac flies on the year, which were second in the Pac-12 and Top-65 nationally prior to the NCAA Postseason.
  • McLain was a part of 38 of ASU's 50 double plays this season - good for 5th in the Pac-12 prior to the NCAA Postseason.
  • He was second in the Pac-12 with 179 defensive assists prior to the postseason - sixth off the Pac-12 lead.
  • McLain recorded a 23-game hitting streak as a freshman last season - tied for the third-longest at ASU since 1998 with Andre Ethier's 2003 23-game hitting streak
  • McLain was a Collegiate Baseball News freshman All-American, an ABCA All-West Region first team selection at second base and an honorable All-Pac-12 pick.
  • He was second on the team with a .322 average on the year, just outside ASU's all-time freshman top-10 in the category. McLain led the team in multi-hit games last year with 23. His 10 multi-RBI games were second on the team. McLain had 17 doubles in the regular season, good for sixth in the Pac-12 and finished with 18 on the year – tied for third in ASU freshman history.
  • He turned 48 double plays last season, two more than any other player in the league even including those with runs to the College World Series and 13 more than any other second baseman.

Nate Baez – Redshirt Sophomore – Catcher
Twins – 12th Round – 354th overall

  • Nate Baez was ASU's Swiss Army Knife this season and showed the versatility to play a number of positions having seen action at catcher, first base, second base, third base, left field and designated hitter this season. 
  • Baez quickly become one of the top players in the Pac-12 in the second half of the year and played at as high a level as any player in the league offensively down the stretch.
  • At 21 doubles and 10 homers on the year, Baez was the first Sun Devil to reach the 20 and 10 mark since Riccio Torrez (27 and 10) in 2010.  The 21 doubles were good for 33rd in the nation prior to the NCAA Tournament were third in the Pac-12.
  • Baez finished tied for the 11th-most doubles at ASU since 1998 and the third-most since 2011 (David Greer 23 in 2016, Joe Lampe 22 in 2022).
  • His .562 slugging percentage finished just outside the Top-10 in the league
  • He led the team with 48 RBIs - 7 more than any of his teammates and good for tied for 12th in the Pac-12
  • 31 of those have come with two outs - 15 more than any of his teammates and 64.6 percent of his total RBIs.
  • He had a .355 average in Pac-12 games, good for 8th in the league and his .664 slugging percentage in conference games wass sixth in the league. 
  • Baez has the second-best average on the squad with runners in scoring position at .355 (27-of-76) with six more hits in that scenario than any of his teammates. His 25 hits with two outs were second on the team (on 71 chances for a .352 average).
  • Baez had two grand slams this season, marking him the first Sun Devil to have two in a season since Ike Davis in 2006. 
  • He also had five homers that were three-run shots, a two-run homer and two solo shots - giving him 27 RBIs on his 10 homers this year with eight of those coming with runners on base. 
  • Seven of his 10 home runs this year came with two outs.

Kyle Luckham – Redshirt Junior – Right-Handed Pitcher
Nationals – 15th Round – 441st overall

  • Luckham had ASU's two longest outings of the season, going a career-high 7.2 innings on the road against San Diego State before besting that with an 8.0 inning effort against San Francisco a week later.
  • It was notable as Luckham had never gone 7.0+ innings in his career in back-to-back starts, including his time at Cal State Fullerton.
  • Luckham had six starts this season in which he went 7.0+ innings, recording quality starts in five of those - a team high. That's notable as he had made it to the 7.0 inning mark just five times in 24 career starts entering the season before doing so five times in 13 starts this year.
  • He easily led the team with six quality starts over the year, including capping off the season with a 6.0 IP effort with just two runs allowed against third-ranked Stanford in the Pac-12 Tournament.
  • Luckham induced a team-best 13 double play balls. 
  • His 86.2 innings pitched this season were 5th in the Pac-12. 

Adam Tulloch – Redshirt Junior – Left-Handed Pitcher
Indians – 15th Round – 451st overall

  • Junior Adam Tulloch was exceptional through the first month of the season and earned Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week after his 7.0 inning, 13 strikeout, 3 ER, no walk victory over San Francisco.
  • The victory was Tulloch's third-straight quality start for the Sun Devils. It was the first time a Sun Devil pitch had 13 strikeouts in a game since Jake Borup in 2010 and he was the first Sun Devil to be named a Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week since Ryan Hingst following his no-hitter in 2016. The 13 strikeouts were the most by any Pac-12 pitcher in a game this season.
  • In his first four STARTS this year, Tulloch had a 2.16 ERA with a 2-0 record over 25.0 innings pitched. He has struck out 36 batters to just seven walks while holding opponents to a meager .141 batting average.
  • Tulloch cooled some after his hot start in the middle of the year but the improvements have been clear in this back half of the season.
  • Tulloch finished 13th in the nation and second in the Pac-12 with 17 starts, despite not having played in the postseason.
  • Despite some of his struggles thus year, one thing has remained constant as Tulloch finished 7th in the Pac-12 with 85 strikeouts – good for the Top-150 nationally.  His 11.36 strikeouts per nine innings were fourth in the league and in the 55th nationally.
  • Tulloch gave ASU 6.2, 7.0, and 7.0 innings of work in three starts this season, notable as he never eclipsed 5.2 innings in any game at West Virginia last year. 
  • At West Virginia last year, the 17th Round pick of the Dodgers struck out 52 in 37.1 innings pitched, including a 10-strikeout effort against Coastal Carolina.

Ethan Long – Sophomore – First Base
Giants – 20th Round – 616th overall

  • Due to a left wrist injury, long did not bat during the final month of the year but did give ASU some depth on the mound.
  • The big bat was a little slow getting going this year, but Long settled into a nice pace and he finished fourth on the team with seven homers on the year despite missing the last month with a wrist injury.
  • He used 18 walks and 3 HBPs to post a .377 OBP over his .294 average.
  • He was named the Pac-12 Player of the Week for the fourth time in his career following his efforts in the Washington series. 
  • Long homered twice in the USC series, one on a three-run shot breaking a 7-7 tie in the sixth inning en route to a 14-12 victory and again in a tight 4-2 game in Game Two with a two-run blast in the seventh that effectively shut the door on the Trojans. 
  • Four of his seven home runs have came in the sixth inning or later.
  • Long became the 129th Sun Devil to be named an All-American last season, becoming a consensus selection after being named to teams by Collegiate Baseball News, NCBWA, and Baseball America
  • Also earned two freshman All-America nods (CBN/NCBWA) and was a First Team All-Pac-12 pick as well as an ACBA All-West Region second team selection and Pac-12 All-Conference first team pick
  • Long finished the 2021 regular season 22nd nationally and second in the Pac-12 with 16 home runs while finishing 13th nationally and leading the league with a .725 slugging percentage on .340 hitting. He was sixth in the league with 53 RBI. His .340 average was the ninth-highest freshman average in Sun Devil history.
  • Finished with a team-best 54 RBI, tied with Barry Bonds for fourth in ASU freshman history while his 16 homers on the year surpassed Bonds for second in ASU freshman history behind only Spencer Torkelson (25) and good for Top-Five in the league.
  • Behind Long's bat, ASU won five straight weekend series in the last half of the year. In a 19-game stretch, Long bat .444 with 40 RBI, 15 home runs, eight doubles, a 1.181 slugging percentage, a .500 OBP and an absurd 1.681 OPS. Of his 32 hits in that span, 23 were for extra bases.

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