The righty outfielder out of UVA brings power and efficiency to the batter’s box
Casey Saucke
Right Fielder
6´3´´
210 pounds
Age: 21
First appearance among the South Side Sox Top 100 Prospects
2024 High Level Winston-Salem (High-A)
Age relative to high level -2.1 years
SSS rank among all right fielders in the system 5
Overall 2024 stats 24 games ⚾️ 2 HR ⚾️ 9 RBI ⚾️ .290/.333/.398 ⚾️ 6 BB ⚾️ 26 K ⚾️ 2-of-4 (50.0%) SB ⚾️ .976 FLD%
Prior to entering the MLB draft, Casey Saucke played for the University of Virginia and was a staple for the Cavaliers offense for three seasons. He posted career highs across the board for nearly every offensive stat category in 2024, helping him to now rank eighth in career RBIs and doubles on the Virginia baseball leaderboards. Saucke played in three fewer games in his final season compared to the year prior (2023) with roughly the same amount of at-bats (250), though he was able to get 13 more hits, 10 more home runs, and 17 more RBIs.
His slash line was just as impressive (.344/.407/.578), and the .985 OPS showed just how fantastic his offense was last year. This performance was enough, in fact, to earn Saucke an All-ACC Second Team selection and ultimately get drafted by the White Sox as the 107th pick (fourth round) of the 2024 MLB draft. Casey was placed in High-A ball right out of the gate and played 24 games with the Winston-Salem Dash to close out the season.
Although Saucke got just 99 PAs in, his transition into the minors was smoother than one would expect at just 20 years old. The caveat to this was that Saucke was not slugging as well as he was in college ball, posting a .398 slugging percentage and a .731 OPS with the Dash — but again, it was about one month worth of games and his first taste of pro ball. He struck out at a 26% clip compared to a 6% BB%, so there is certainly more work he can do to become more selective and swing at quality pitches as he continues his development. The good news is that the power is still showing itself.
On the defensive end, Saucke originally was a middle infielder but his strong arm pushed him to the outfield at UVA — he played the majority of games in right, and finished his collegiate career with the .982 FLD%. Saucke’s defense translated well into the minors for the most part, finishing with two errors and a combined .952 FLD%, still playing the majority of innings in right. Once he gets some consistent reps in next year and continues to refine his defensive skills, hopefully we can see these numbers improve a bit.
He is fairly average with regards to speed, but Saucke’s arm strength allows him to have the versatility in the outfield and man a coveted right field spot. On the basepaths, he was safe in 80.65% SB attempts in college, and had success in two of four attempts with the Dash.
Saucke’s Baseball Cube player ratings
Hitting 87
Durability 77
RBIs 71
Power 64
Speed 59
XBH 49
Runs 47
Contact 46
Average 62.50
Saucke’s ability to efficiently get on base and drive runners in is clearly shown in his talent ratings, and as he settles in and advances in his career, we can only hope the power category continues to increase. He was known for smashing doubles at Virginia, so ideally he gets back into that groove.
It’s likely that Casey will begin the year in Winston-Salem, and it would be great for him to handle an aggressive assignment being just 21. If he can improve the offensive production and maintain consistency at a higher level you could even see him in Birmingham before summer’s end.
2025 South Side Sox Top 100 White Sox Prospects
35. Casey Saucke, RF
36. Eric Adler, RHRP
37. Rikuu Nishida, 2B
38. Shane Smith, RHSP
39. Tim Elko, 1B
40. Zach DeLoach, LF
41. Riley Gowens, RHSP
42. Prelander Berroa, RHRP
43. Sam Antonacci, 2B
44. Adisyn Coffey, RHRP
45. Jarold Rosado, RHRP
46. Ryan Galanie, 1B
47. Trey McGough, LHRP
48. Ricardo Brizuela, RHSP
49. Lucas Gordon, LHSP
50. Aaron Combs, RHRP (traded to Phillies on January 1)
51. DJ Gladney, RF
52. Abraham Núñez, CF
53. Andre Lipcius, 1B
54. Shawn Goosenberg, 1B
55. Caden Connor, 1B
56. Mario Camilletti, 2B
57. Jake Peppers, RHSP
58. Ryan Burrowes, SS
59. Garrett Schoenle, LHRP
60. Jackson Appel, C
61. Tommy Vail, LHSP
62. Bryce Collins, RHRP
63. Tanner McDougal, RHSP
64. Stiven Flores, C
65. T.J. McCants, CF
66. Gil Luna, LHRP
67. Fraser Ellard, LHRP
68. Zach Franklin, RHRP
69. Drew Dalquist, RHRP
70. Nick Altermatt, RHRP
71. Carson Jacobs, RHRP
72. Alec Makarewicz, 1B
73. Jacob Burke, CF
74. Calvin Harris, C
75. Terrell Tatum, CF
76. Phil Fox, RHRP
77. Reudis Diaz, RHSP
78. Jurdrick Profar, SS
79. Drew McDaniel, RHSP
80. Michael Turner, C
81. Caleb Freeman, RHRP
82. Braden Shewmake, SS (designated for assignment on January 1, claimed by Royals)
83. Connor McCullough, RHSP
84. Shane Murphy, LHSP
85. Mikey Kane, 1B
86. Daniel González, LHRP
87. Wes Kath, 3B
88. Pierce George, RHRP
89. Tristan Stivors, RHRP
90. Anthony Hoopii-Tuionetoa, RHRP
91. Chase Plymell, RHRP
92. Eddie Park, CF
93. Loidel Chapelli, 2B
94. Adam Hackenberg, C
95. Adrian Gil, 1B
96. Jared Kelley, RHRP
97. Lyle Miller-Green, 1B
98. Marcelo Alcala, RF
99. Drake Logan, LF
100. Cole McConnell, CF