From a baseball standout, it’s no stretch to say that 6-foot-8 Saints outfielder Carson McCusker is the talk of the town(s).
The 26-year-old former independent league player, signed by the Twins as a minor league free agent in June of 2023, has hit nothing but rockets and tape-measure home runs this young season. As a result, the subject of “exit velocity” also pertains to his likely ascension from Triple-A baseball to the major leagues.
McCusker entered the weekend with six home runs, one off the lead in minor league baseball, and had 17 RBIs in 18 games. His exit velocity of 95.7 mph was second among Triple-A hitters.
Carson McCusker, 26, was drafted by Milwaukee out of junior college but transferred to Oklahoma State instead. Undrafted there, he played independent baseball in upstate New York before signing a minor league deal with the Twins. (Rob Thompson / St. Paul Saints)
While he has drawn comparisons to New York Yankees superstar Aaron Judge due to their similar size and ability to mash a baseball, McCusker’s mantle of home run hitter is a relatively new one.
“In indy ball I started to make a little leg kick and started seeing some power production from that,” McCusker said. “I was able to hit some balls harder, so I stuck with that. Ten months later, I got signed, and that’s when it kind of took off for me.
“I didn’t really understand how to be a power hitter before that. It took a while to figure it out.”
So much so that McCusker came close to giving up the game prior to his third season of playing for Tri-City (upstate New York) of the Frontier League.
“I was taking with family,” he said, “and it was like, ‘Do I really want to do this one more time? I’m 25; it’s probably time to get a real job.’ But I said I’d give it one more go.”
He signed with the Twins a few months later.
McCusker lettered in three sports in high school in Sparks, Nevada — baseball, basketball and tennis. He also wrestled. He played a year of junior college baseball in California, after which he was drafted by Milwaukee in the 26th round of the 2017 draft. He opted to sign with Oklahoma State instead.
McCusker played three seasons for the Cowboys but was not drafted a second time, leaving him looking for a place to continue his playing career.
Oklahoma State’s Carson McCusker (12) leads off of second during an NCAA baseball game against TCU on April 16, 2021, in Fort Worth, Texas. The outfielder was hitting .302 with six home runs and 17 RBIs in 18 games for the Class AAA St. Paul Saints through Thursday’s games. (AP Photo/Brandon Wade)
“Out of college — not getting drafted — I didn’t really know what I wanted to do,” he said. “But I always felt that I could play this game at a higher level than what I’d been given the chance to do. So, I just gave myself a shot.”
McCusker had a tie to Tri-City in manager Pete Incaviglia, a former major league outfielder who played collegiately at Oklahoma State and kept close ties to the program. His time with Tri-City included some anxious — and frustrating — moments.
“My first full season I tried to make some swing adjustments and I was terrible,” McCusker said. “So, I had to navigate my way through that and make some more swing adjustments and figure it out.”
McCusker considers himself a student of the game, something he feels has played a big role in his current success.
“I’ve put in a lot of work the past couple of years trying to get stuff figured out,’” he said. “I feel like I’m starting to figure out how to go about my approach game by game, at-bat to at-bat. It’s been working out. I’m just trying to learn every single day. That’s the beauty of it, too — you never know everything with this game.”
McCusker appeared in 24 games with the Saints last season after beginning the year with Double-A Wichita. He batted .286 for the Saints, with four homers and 11 RBIs. He said the experience proved invaluable. His offseason was about learning “what to train on and how pitchers are going to attack you.”
As for his height, McCusker said he basically grew a couple inches every year in high school before adding another inch in college.
“They tell me I might sill be growing,” he said with a laugh. “I don’t know, we’ll see.”
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