Josh Caron is a catcher in the Seattle Mariners organization, currently playing for the Everett AquaSox. Caron, who grew up in the state of Wisconsin, attended the University of Nebraska and was drafted in 4th round of the 2024 Major League Baseball Draft by the Seattle Mariners with the 121st pick. Caron had an amazing career with the Cornhuskers, breaking tons of records while achieving semifinalist status for the Buster Posey National Collegiate Catcher of the Year award.
Josh is an amazing young man, respected by all his teammates and coaches. During his final season with Nebraska, he hit .308 with 15 doubles, 16 home runs, 65 runs batted in and 46 runs scored (unheard numbers, especially from a catcher). Seattle Sports Union was fortunate to sit down with Josh Caron for an interview after an extra innings walk off win by the Everett AquaSox.
SSU: Thank you Josh, for joining us. We know it was a long night, ending in a walk off win. We are sure you want to go celebrate with your teammates. We will make this quick.
JC: No worries, guys, it’s a pleasure to meet you. Thank you for having me.
SSU: Josh, I played catcher through my senior year in high school. Catching to me is perhaps the best position out there. How did you become a catcher?
JC: That is awesome, it is the best position to play for sure. Believe it or not, I used to play outfield, especially center field. I also played shortstop. When I was probably nine or ten years old my coach said to me “I think you would make a good catcher”. With that said, I quickly evolved into a catcher. I believe my first game I threw out a runner trying to steal and I immediately fell in love with the position.
SSU: How cool is that, awesome!! Where did you grow up Josh? Did you have a favorite baseball player?
JC: I am from Sun Prairie, Wisconsin. It’s a suburb outside of Madison, Wisconsin. There are about 35,000 people so it’s a pretty good size. I was a Green Bay Packers fan growing up and yes, I even was a Milwaukee Brewers fan. My favorite player was former Brewer catcher Jonathan Lucroy.
SSU: Excellent choices, very nice. After high school you attended the University of Nebraska. How did that come about?
JC: I wasn’t a huge recruit coming out of high school. I had a few offers from mid majors but when Nebraska came calling, I took a visit and fell in love with the place. I felt it was a great spot and a great environment to play in. The fans there were pretty crazy about the Cornhuskers and that alone was a huge attraction.
SSU: Last season you put up some eye-popping stats not for only a catcher, but for any college baseball player. Tell us why it was such a great season for you.
JC: It was a great year, at least I felt like it was. It took me a couple years at Nebraska to figure it out and get my feet wet. By my Junior year, I felt that I achieved that status. College was a really great experience for me to just kind of mature and grow up. We, as a team, had a pretty solid year. I was a semifinalist for the Buster Posey award as well which was quite an honor as well. I can’t complain, that’s for sure.
SSU: Tell us one favorite high school or college moment on the baseball field?
JC: I would say winning the state championship my senior year of high school. That was very nice to be a part of, something I will never forget.
SSU: Last year you were drafted in the 4th round by the Seattle Mariners in the Major League Baseball Draft. Where were you on draft day and did you know Seattle was interested?
JC: My parents got us and Airbnb up in Central Wisconsin, the middle of nowhere. It was a really cool little cabin. There were a bunch of people (family and friends) that were a part of the festivities. As for Seattle showing interest, I had heard from several teams including Seattle. I heard that they were looking for a catcher in the draft, someone to hopefully draft early. Little did I know that was going to be me, a blessing in disguise and I am very fortunate.
SSU: What is one of your strongest parts of your game and what is one area you want to work on to make you even better? Personally, I enjoyed being the “ring general out there”.
JC: I personally take pride in all that I do, especially being the one who leads the pitching staff. Having a great relationship with my pitchers is important. I like to think those are some of my strong points, being a “general” is a good call. One last strong point, I would say that I call a great game out there, sure not everyone is perfect, but I feel I am blessed to be in the position that I am and learn from my mistakes as well. As for something I feel I need to work on, perhaps it is being consistent all the way around every day I show up to work (call a great game, treat everyone with respect, learn from the good things and the areas I need to improve). Anyway, I just need to build on that every day and my game will improve.
SSU: You were invited to big league camp this past spring as a non-roster invitee. How cool was that!!! Do share….
JC: That was so awesome, thanks for asking. I was pretty surprised when I got the call. I was not expecting that at all. It was a great experience getting to learn from the likes of Cal Raleigh and Mitch Garver. They are truly great guys and I learned so much. It wasn’t just the fact that they took me under their wing, but just being able to sit back and watch them on the field and in the clubhouse. Such a blessed experience.
SSU: So, you got the call to Everett. What was your first impression about Everett when you arrived?
JC: The landscape here is so beautiful. That is what stood out. Sure, I grew up in Wisconsin, but Everett, Washington has a bit more elevation. The trees and the greenery here are so beautiful.
SSU: We promise it will get warmer!
JC: That is what I was told, but remember I grew up in Wisconsin where we had lots of snow, so I am OK with it.
SSU: Besides Funko Field in Everett, Washington, what is your favorite place to play?
JC: There are so many but I will say Charles Schwab field in Omaha, Nebraska (home of the College World Series) is pretty cool to play at. We played the Big 10 tournament there, and the fans came out in gigantic masses for us. The environment alone is insane.
SSU: What was your major in college? What do you want to do when you retire in 20 years?
JC: I majored in Business Management. What do I want to do in 20 years? That is a great question. Hopefully it will be something in real estate but I know you need a little money to start out so we will see how things go.
SSU: Last questions, favorite ice cream and favorite sports movie of all time?
JC: I love Blue Moon Ice Cream (founded in Milwaukee in the 1950s and popular in the Midwest) because it’s a great flavor. As for my favorite sports movie it has to be Field of Dreams!!
SSU: Awesome choices, thanks for joining us Josh, it’s been an honor.
JC: Thanks guys, I truly appreciated it. Have a great night.
Josh Caron, you are truly a talented and inspiring young man. Best of luck to you. It’s going to be fun watching you climb the ladder in this organization. Perhaps one day you will be the heir apparent to Cal Raleigh (former Everett AquaSox). Definitely you are on the way to becoming a star in MLB.
Go Frogs!
