The Chicago Cubs have selected their first catcher in the 2023 MLB Draft and at first glance this seems like an excellent value pick.
After choosing a pair of college infielders and two starting pitchers through the first four rounds of this year’s draft, the Cubs picked Davidson catcher Michael Carico in the fifth round. Why does the left-handed hitting catcher seem like a great pick? Well, in 2022, the 19-year-old sophomore was the best hitter in college.
Carico led the country at the plate with a ridiculous slash line of .406/.559/.843, ranking first in OBP and OPS. He belted 21 home runs, walked 46 times and only struck out 35 times.
So, why did Carico drop to the fifth round? Well, unfortunately the catcher’s 2023 season was cut short because of injuries, which limited Carico to 21 games. However, Carico was still on fire this past season at Davidson, slashing .350/.514/.688, with 7 home runs in 107 plate appearances.
There’s no doubt about it, Carico can hit.
According to MLB’s website, Carico was ranked 110th among this year’s draft prospects.
Via MLB.com.
After batting .219 as a part-time catcher trying to play through a torn labrum in his non-throwing shoulder in 2021, Carico broke out as a 19-year-old sophomore last season. He batted .406/.559/.843, led NCAA Division I in on-base percentage and OPS (1.402) and set Davidson records for OBP, slugging, OPS, runs (71), homers (21), extra-base hits (43), total bases (166) and hit by pitches (26). The Atlantic 10 Conference player of the year, he also became the first Davidson player invited to try out for the U.S. collegiate national team.
Carico has some stiffness to his left-handed swing, but he has the strength and bat speed to produce solid power from left-center to the right-field line. He struggled in the Team USA trials against better quality pitching, so there’s some question as to how good he’ll be versus tougher competition. He may not produce high batting averages, but his pop and his plate discipline are real.
Carico has well-below-average speed and fringy-at-best athleticism that limits his ceiling as a receiver, though he does have the work ethic to become adequate behind the plate. He has solid arm strength but it plays down because he lacks accuracy on his throws.
That scouting report from MLB.com, even mentioned that Carico could have been a second round pick, which is the highest any player from Davidson has been taken during the draft.
