Getting to know Cardinals' prospect Mike Antico
I was able to catch up with the speedy outfielder for the Springfield Cardinals and talk to him about his baseball career.
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The St. Louis Cardinals have a handful of speedy prospects in the minors. While Victor Scott II is probably the most recognizable, there is one person in Double-A Springfield who holds the stolen base record. That man is outfielder Mike Antico.
Another day another record breaker...
— Springfield Cardinals (@Sgf_Cardinals) November 17, 2023
Mike Antico’s 2023 Season, in accolades format:
⚾️️ Springfield Cardinals All-Time Stolen Base Record with 82 Stolen Bases
⚾️️ Springfield Cardinals Single Season Stolen Base Record with 52 Stolen Bases
⚾️️ St. Louis Cardinals 2023… pic.twitter.com/8jPAYOmwOw
Mike Antico was one of the most sought-after high school prospects in the country. He was rated as the top outfield prospect in the state of New Jersey by Perfect Game. Antico chose the college route after graduating high school in 2016, and he spent his first 4 years of college with St. John's University.
After COVID cut the 2020 college season short, Antico used his final year of eligibility to play for the Texas Longhorns post-graduation. He racked up ample All Big-East nominations while with St. John's, and he was a career .332 hitter his first 4 years of college.
Once with Texas, Antico was able to tap into his elite speed, stealing 41 bases in 65 games in 2021. The Cardinals would end up selecting Antico in the 8th round of the 2021 MLB Draft. He has been recognized as one of the organization's top prospects, and he made the organizational All-Star team last year.
Mike Antico is currently playing with the Cardinal's Double-A affiliate in Springfield. He is slashing .297/.343/.446 with a 118 wRC+. Antico has hit 3 home runs and swiped 5 bags after just 29 games with the Springfield Cardinals. He's off to one of the best starts of his career offensively at this point. He has logged time defensively in center field and left field, though most of his time has been in left field.
I was able to catch up with the speedy outfielder recently to discuss his career up to this point and what he wanted to achieve in his professional career. It was great to get to know Mike a little better, and he's a wonderful person all around.
*Mike Antico's responses are paraphrased for conciseness.
At what point did you know you wanted to be a professional baseball player?
Since I started playing as young as I can remember. It was always the goal, and it was my main focus. I still can think back on my tee ball times, and I remember many moments playing baseball as a kid.
Tell me a little bit about your college journey. You were highly ranked coming out of high school, and you saw plenty of success at both St. John’s and Texas. What was it like playing with notoriety?
I committed to St. John's pretty early. I think coming into St. John's I was just trying to get better, and I didn't think about who I was very often. In my mind, I wasn't a very highly-ranked guy. My goal was to get better each year. St. John's was a huge part of my journey. I had good intentions my senior year; I was going to finish my degree and get drafted, but obviously COVID put those plans back a little.
Did you choose to play one more year post-grad due to the shortened 2020 season?
I never really thought about transferring, but the opportunity came due to an extra year of eligibility from the COVID season. It was probably the best thing that ever happened to me. Most of my draft recognition came from playing at Texas. COVID threw a wrench into my plans my senior year, and my time at Texas was a gift for my professional career.
What was your draft experience like?
It had been my third time through the draft process, fourth if you count high school. I tried right out of high school, after my junior and senior years, and then after my year at Texas. I wasn't thinking about it much. I was headed to Omaha for the College World Series. My friend and I were not interested in watching. We just took a ride and didn't listen to the draft. We found out via phone call. I really didn't think the Cardinals were on my radar, but I'm happy to be in the organization. It's a historic organization.
You hold the record for the most stolen bases in a single season in Springfield’s franchise history. How proud of that are you?
I want major league stolen bases. I look at a variety of things to get some tells when stealing bases. I pay attention to the pitcher and catcher, see what they're trying to do with the hitter. Last season was definitely fun. I didn't really know until I got close. I figured I would be able to hit the mark, and it's great to have that single-season record to my name.
4️⃣7️⃣ 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗹𝗲𝗻 𝗯𝗮𝘀𝗲𝘀.
— Springfield Cardinals (@Sgf_Cardinals) August 30, 2023
Mike Antico just broke the Springfield Cardinals single-season stolen base record.
He is now in sole possession of the club’s 𝗮𝗹𝗹-𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 stolen base record with 77 SB and 𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗹𝗲-𝘀𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗼𝗻 record with 47 SB.
Be Like Mike 🤘 pic.twitter.com/qkJbEPQMYn
Who are some of your favorite players you’ve played with in the minors?
Definitely Jordan Walker and Masyn Winn. All three of us played here together in 2022. That was a great team; we had a lot of fun. Playing with Pedro Pages was great. We were grinding it out. Playing behind Tink Hence is unbelievable. He's a competitor, and I'm really tight with him. All 5 of us are still really good friends.
We have a really tight group of guys throughout the minors. It's a solid group of guys with some superstars. It's exciting, and the future is definitely bright for the organization.
What are some of your goals for this season? The near future?
Consistency. I want every part of my game to be consistent: defense, baserunning, at the plate. It's the goal for every player, but it's not an easy part of the game. I want to be as skilled as I can at each area of my game. I'm working on everything. Whenever my call-up to the majors happens, I'll be ready. I've been going through this for a few years now, and I'll be well-prepared when it does happen.
THREE PITCHES IN. MIKE ANTICO. WE LEAD 1-0. pic.twitter.com/35oEIE0kpm
— Springfield Cardinals (@Sgf_Cardinals) May 11, 2024
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