This Massive Prospect is Worth Keeping an Eye On

Carson McCusker was drafted in the 26th round out of high school by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 2017 MLB draft. Ultimately, he decided to play baseball for the Cowboys of Oklahoma State where he played in 147 games while accruing almost 600 plate appearances. 

He had a solid yet unspectacular four years with the Cowboys, where he hit 23 home runs and carried a .886 OPS with a solid walk rate, but struggled with strikeouts. The once MLB draftee went undrafted in the COVID-shortened 2020 MLB Draft. This led him to the independent Frontier League and the Tri-City Valley Cats out of Troy, New York.

In two-plus seasons with the Valley Cats, McCusker’s height was not the only thing that stood out. Hitting from the right side of the plate, he slugged 36 home runs over 592 plate appearances, posted a .996 OPS, and struck out at a lower clip than his days in the Big 12. His profile and stats made enough noise that the Twins signed him to a Minor League contract on June 29th, 2023.

In that time, the 25-year-old, 6’ 8” prospect has spent time at three levels, including starting the 2024 season with the Double-A Wichita Wind Surge promotion. Over 207 plate appearances, McCusker has smacked 14 home runs with a 76:16 strikeout-to-walk ratio and an .860 OPS.

While the accumulating strikeouts and lack of walks are a concern, the righty does some major damage when he makes contact with the ball, posting a 90th percentile exit velocity of 106.2 miles per hour (mph) and max of 111.6 mph. But, ultimately, it’s the contact rate that will be the difference maker in whether Carson McCusker can one day be a big league bat for the Minnesota Twins. Ideally, you want contact rates to be in the mid-to-low 70s but McCusker’s are in the mid 60s. Pair the below-average contact numbers with just a  7.7-percent walk rate, and you have a guy who relies a little too much on doing damage when he makes contact with the ball. While the Twins value power bats and don’t seem overly concerned with strikeouts, they also value guys like Edouard Julien and Kala’i Rosario, who have some pop AND can get on base at a high clip, even if their strikeout numbers are elevated. Unfortunately, at least for now, that’s not McCusker’s game, and it never has been.

But, maybe, there is another route to the big leagues. In just four games with the Wind Surge, McCusker has made highlight reel defensive plays in each of the corner outfield spots that show off his glove and his arm. While fielding data and highlights are few and far between at the lower levels, it’s worth noting he has four more outfield assists in 2023. If the holes in his swing can be plugged by plus defense and a plus arm, then there might be something here for the relatively unknown big man.

Soon, Max Kepler will likely be gone and there are big question marks about whether Trevor Larnach can handle off-speed pitching well enough to be a big league regular. While it’s too early to have long-term concerns, Matt Wallner has had a slow start to the season, and the likes of Walker Jenkins, Emmanuel Rodriguez, Gabriel Gonzalez, and Brandon Winokur are a year or more away from potentially making their big league debut. This gives McCusker an outside chance to make a name for himself in 2024 with the proper adjustments at the plate. While he doesn’t have the draft capital or prospect pedigree like the others mentioned above, he has the height and power to stand out.

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