Pittsburgh Pirates select Oklahoma catcher Easton Carmichael in 2025 MLB Draft

Skip Johnson has made Oklahoma players getting drafted part of the routine at this point. Easton Carmichael is the latest, with the Sooners catcher hearing his name called from Atlanta. Carmichael will start his professional career with the Pittsburgh Pirates. He went in the third round with the No. 82 overall pick.

Three seasons were spent in Norman by Carmichael, being a staple force for Oklahoma. He played in 60 games this past year, starting in all of them. Offensively, some great numbers were put up. Carmichael launched a career-high 17 home runs while driving in 62 RBIs. An OPS of 1.011 was another best throughout his college days.

Defensively, Carmichael was nearly perfect on the year. Just one error was charged to his name for a fielding percentage of .998.

Some awards did come Carmichael’s way for the performances as well. He was named second-team All-SEC by the conference. However, Perfect Game and the College Baseball Foundation were a little higher on the catcher, placing him in their first-team All-American squads.

Carmichael will also leave the program with his name in the top 10 when it comes to RBIs (7th at 174) and triples (10th with 13). Power numbers are usually hard to come by from the catcher position. While those traits are not projected to carry over to the next level, a little pop is still in there for Carmichael.

What MLB Draft analysts are saying about Oklahoma catcher Easton Carmichael

MLB.com provided a scouting report on Carmichael ahead of the draft, grading him out as a 45 overall prospect on the 80-grade scale. Nothing in particular stands out, with four of his five attributes coming in as a 50. The power is where MLB.com sees Carmichael’s lowest upside, grading it at 45.

“Carmichael doesn’t stand out in any particular area but has the potential for average tools across the board,” the scouting report said. “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.”

On a positive note, there does not appear to be any concern about his long-term position. Catcher is where Carmichael will stay after working well with Oklahoma’s pitching staff. If anything, MLB.com did hesitate about his ability in the run game despite showing off a better arm from behind the plate.