Getting to know Cardinals' prospect Mike Antico

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.

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.