'Upside' with Oklahoma catcher Carmichael at No. 82
The Pirates view 82nd overall pick Easton Carmichael as a catcher and he'll have "every opportunity" to stick there. But, they aren't denying the versatility he possesses.
Carmichael, a 6-1, 200-pound junior from Oklahoma, was the Pirates' final pick of Day 1. He finished his time with the Sooners with the seventh-most RBIs (174), 10th-most triples (13), and 11th-most home runs (30), extra-base hits (80), and total bases (232) in program history.
He was ranked 91st by Baseball America and 93rd by MLB Pipeline and was given a 50 run grade by both after legging out 37 doubles in three years. Baseball America stated he needed to "improve his receiving and blocking" to stick at the position and his 40-grade arm may stifle his ability to control the running game.
"He’s a great athlete. He’s strong. He’s versatile. He’s got really good lower-half strength and he’s explosive. There is some upside there, but we are definitely focused on him with his catching ability," Justin Horowitz, the Pirates' director of amateur scouting, said. "We think he can definitely do it. He provides power back there. We are going to give him every opportunity to prove that he can be a legitimate catching prospect in our organization.”
In 60 games in 2025, Carmichael slashed .329/.398/.613 with 17 home runs and 62 RBIs in 243 at-bats. He struck out 43 times and drew 25 walks. He only recorded one error, producing a .998 fielding percentage.
"The baseball they play there in the SEC nowadays is really, really good," Horowitz said. "So if you can go there and you can compete and you can have success playing every day at that level, it's definitely saying something about your talent, your work ethic, your commitment."
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THE ASYLUM
Greg Macafee
10:12 pm - 07.13.2025DOWNTOWN'Upside' with Oklahoma catcher Carmichael at No. 82
The Pirates view 82nd overall pick Easton Carmichael as a catcher and he'll have "every opportunity" to stick there. But, they aren't denying the versatility he possesses.
Carmichael, a 6-1, 200-pound junior from Oklahoma, was the Pirates' final pick of Day 1. He finished his time with the Sooners with the seventh-most RBIs (174), 10th-most triples (13), and 11th-most home runs (30), extra-base hits (80), and total bases (232) in program history.
He was ranked 91st by Baseball America and 93rd by MLB Pipeline and was given a 50 run grade by both after legging out 37 doubles in three years. Baseball America stated he needed to "improve his receiving and blocking" to stick at the position and his 40-grade arm may stifle his ability to control the running game.
"He’s a great athlete. He’s strong. He’s versatile. He’s got really good lower-half strength and he’s explosive. There is some upside there, but we are definitely focused on him with his catching ability," Justin Horowitz, the Pirates' director of amateur scouting, said. "We think he can definitely do it. He provides power back there. We are going to give him every opportunity to prove that he can be a legitimate catching prospect in our organization.”
In 60 games in 2025, Carmichael slashed .329/.398/.613 with 17 home runs and 62 RBIs in 243 at-bats. He struck out 43 times and drew 25 walks. He only recorded one error, producing a .998 fielding percentage.
"The baseball they play there in the SEC nowadays is really, really good," Horowitz said. "So if you can go there and you can compete and you can have success playing every day at that level, it's definitely saying something about your talent, your work ethic, your commitment."
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