Getting to Know: Cubs fifth-rounder Michael Carico |
Throughout the early stages of the MLB draft, the Chicago Cubs did a great job of addressing team needs and taking the best available player. They did that by focusing on college-level talent instead of the potential a high schooler brings to the table, as college-level talent has a chance to produce much quicker than a prep started.
The fifth round was no different as the Cubs continued to focus on college-level talent to address potential needs. Unlike their previous four rounds that saw the Cubs reach at times, their round five selection could go down as a steal as they managed to grab the 110th-best prospect at pick 149, roughly one to two rounds lower than many expected him to land. This may not be a position of need right now, but it soon could become one as the Cubs drafted Davidson catcher Michael Carico in the fifth round and added him to their organization. Carico is the classic definition of a grinder, as he hit just a .219 during his freshman season in 2021. Part of that was due to a torn labrum that he continued to play for, but no one questioned his toughness at that point. One year later, Carico broke through as a 19-year-old and put the Division One Landscape on notice. Not only did he hit a .406 that season, but his overall slash line was .406/.559/.843. He 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. Fast forward to this past season, and Carico was off to another great start, only to have another injury cut his season short. Before his injury, he was hitting .350 with seven homers and 18 RBIs. He also took 14 walks to 17 strikeouts while getting hit by five pitches as he continued to get on base. Granted, another injury is a concern, but had he stayed healthy, this guy would have been a round-two selection based on two incredible seasons. A left-handed hitter, Carico doesn't have the smoothest swing out there, but he makes up for that with his raw power and bat speed. While his production in college is well documented, he did struggle for Team USA when he faced better competition, and it is now becoming a question as to how he will do against consistently better competition. Given what they saw from him while playing with Team USA, many scouts feel Carico may never be a high-average guy at the next level, but he still should be able to produce plenty of power. For a team lacking power in a lot of their farm system and needing impact left-handed bats, Carico is at least worth a shot for a few seasons to see how he does. Like most catches, Carico is not a fast runner and is average at best regarding athleticism. That limits his overall skill set behind the plate, although he is working at becoming a better receiver. He has solid arm strength, but it plays down because he lacks accuracy on his throws and coming off a broken wrist that sidelined him for two months last season. Who knows how that wrist will look once he starts throwing again? Even with the injury concerns and the struggle against better talent, Carico is still a left-handed power-hitting catcher and one of the better catchers in his class. He may never be the guy leading this team behind the plate, but he will provide you with some excellent depth in the minor league system for years to come.