(Cover photo: soonersports.com)

The 2025 MLB Draft is fast approaching. The draft will be 20 rounds over 3 days and starts on Sunday, July 13.

It will be a part of the MLB All Star Game festivities in Atlanta with the first 3 rounds on Sunday, July 13, starting at 5:00 p.m. (CDT) and can be seen on both the MLB Network and ESPN. Rounds 4-20 will begin on Monday, July 14, at 10:30 a.m. and will be streamed on MLB.com.

Just like previous years, the Sooner State will be well represented and this year it should be represented early. A total of 3 Sooner State alums are expected to go no later than the first 15 pick with 2 of them possibly going in the top 5 with some “experts” projecting either of those 2 going number 1.

Leading up the the draft, we will take a look at a total of 10 players projected to go in the draft from the state of Oklahoma, but expect more names from the Sooner State to be called over the 2 days. (Caden Powell was not talked about by anyone last year and he was taken in the 6th round by the Astros.)

Today’s player: Easton Carmichael

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You’d be hard pressed to find a college program that has had a better situation behind the plate the last five seasons than the University of Oklahoma. Jimmy Crooks manned the dish for the 2021-2022 seasons while Easton Carmichael has been the primary backstop the last three seasons.

Crooks is currently tearing it up in the Cardinals’ system at (AAA) Memphis and it is a matter of time that he’ll be in the “bigs” for the Cardinals.

Based on his performance for the Sooners and the development/trajectory, Carmichael has the same potential as Crooks.

After a solid season as a freshman in 2023 where he had an OPS of .828, Carmichael had a sophomore season where he slashed .366/.406/.563 for an OPS of .969. He had a career high of 64 RBI that year as well.

This past season, Carmichael added power to his repertoire. Although his average was “down” to .329, his OBP was relatively the same while his slug went up to .613 for an OPS of 1.011. He increased his homerun total by 10 to 17 RBI.

Carmichael was named a 1st team All American by Perfect Game and College Baseball Foundation while taking home 2nd team honors by NCBWA and 3rd team honors by Baseball America. He was also named 2nd Team All SEC.

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Prospect Rankings

*Prospect Ranking: MLB Top 250 (MLB), ESPN Top 150 (ESPN), Keith Law Top 100 (Law)

• MLB: 93
• ESPN: 69
• Law: 86

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Scouting Grades Reports

*When looking at the scouting grades, MLB uses a “20-80” system: 20-30 is well below average, 40 is below average, 50 is average, 60 is above average, 70-80 is well above average.

MLB Pipeline

Scouting grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 45 | Run: 50 | Arm: 50 | Field: 50 | Overall: 45

Carmichael is the third member of his family to play at Oklahoma, following father Darby and brother Braden. Easton caught his sibling at times during his freshman season in 2023, spent much of last year as a DH and has reasserted himself behind the plate this spring. One of the better options in a thin Draft class of catchers, he earned All-Star Game MVP honors in the Cape Cod League last summer and has helped himself by improving defensively as a junior.

Carmichael doesn’t stand out in any particular area but has the potential for average tools across the board. A right-handed hitter, he has a disciplined approach and makes consistent contact while focusing on using the middle of the field. His pull power could translate into 15-20 homers per season if he learns to drive the ball in the air more regularly.

Faster than most catchers, Carmichael can flash solid run times from home to first and will steal an occasional base. He moves well behind the plate and has upgraded his receiving this year while handling a talented Sooners pitching staff. He also has increased his arm strength though he still struggles to combat the running game.

Keith Law

Scouting Report

Bats: R, Throws: R

Carmichael is a capable backstop with some power and enough contact skills to at least see a future backup catcher, probably a low-OBP type who might get to 15-plus homers if he plays every day. He hit .329/.398/.613 this spring for the Sooners with a 15.7 percent strikeout rate, but he did a lot of damage against weaker pitching — he did nothing with fastballs 94 mph or harder, and his whiff rate on breaking stuff was over 30 percent on the year — so in pro ball I think it’s more of a 40 or 45 hit tool despite the strong triple-slash line here. He’s handled the Witherspoon twins, who both show premium stuff, well enough to see him doing the same in the upper levels of pro ball.

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Outlook

The obvious comp for Carmichael is Crooks. Crooks went in the 4th round of the draft in 2022 with pick 127. Carmichael could go higher as the pool for catchers in this draft is reportedly thin.

Not so sure how to take Keith Law’s comment about how “he did a lot of damage against weaker pitching.” Isn’t that what you’re supposed to do? Every player being drafted will need to develop against top tier pitching, and there is no reason Carmichael can’t do that. Going back to the Crooks comparison, that is what has happened there.

Carmichael has the tools to be a good professional player. While he might not have “top tier” talent in a particular area, there isn’t anything that he does poorly. Given the right situation, look for him to ascend up a farm system and be on the doorstep of a Major League career in a few years if not sooner (no pun intended).

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