Aug. 14, 2022

By Neve Van Pelt

Canadian Baseball Network

It wasn’t exactly an easy road, but David McCabe couldn’t be happier about being drafted in the fourth round (125th overall in North America) by the Atlanta Braves.

McCabe (Oshawa, Ont.) was one of only 15 Canadians who had their names called in the three-day 2022 MLB draft.

“It was an incredible feeling. It was just kind of a surreal moment,” McCabe said. “My heart was racing, and it was just something that was really special … I was really thankful that I was able to experience it with my family.”

This moment was a dream come true for the sophomore infielder, the third Canadian selected and the first college player. He knew from a very young age that the game was his passion, and it’s safe to say that young version of himself would be very proud of where he is today.

“He’d be ecstatic. It was a long and hard road to get here,” McCabe said. “I think knowing what went into it, he would go through it all again to end up in the same spot.”

Sports always come with challenges and for McCabe, it was not one … not two … but three injuries while at Charlotte that brought some difficulties.

An oblique injury, a hamstring injury, and a bulging fracture on his foot caused him to miss over a month for each.

Rather than letting these injuries get the best of him, he used it as an opportunity to learn how to take care of his body better in the future and do everything in his power to avoid putting himself in that situation again.

Moving all the way to Charlotte, N.C., to play NCAA Division I ball for the University of North Carolina ‘49ers was a big adjustment for McCabe. He found being part of a team and playing the game he loved made this transition feel a lot less daunting.

“The people in Charlotte, the coaching staff, the players … they welcomed me with open arms,” McCabe said. “They made the transition a lot smoother … I was really thankful for that.”

The Niners had a strong team this season making it to regionals for the first time in 10 years, and had three players names called in the 2022 draft.

Alongside McCabe, his teammates 2B Nate Furman (a fourth rounder who went 121st to the Cleveland Guardians) and LHP Spencer Giesting (an 11th rounder, chosen 318th overall by the Arizona Diamondbacks) were also selected.

“When they got their names called, I was ecstatic for them both. Furman was picked four picks ahead of me and I was on the phone with my agent when he was taken,” McCabe said. “When I sat down and saw his name pop up, I got excited all over again to see him picked.”

UNC’s head coach, Robert Woodard is developing young student-athletes and McCabe is very grateful Woodard took a chance on him.

“Coach Woodard is great, he challenges us each and every day to become better people and better players,” McCabe said. “I think a lot of the guidance and leadership and opportunities that he gave me helped me get to the position I’m in today.”

McCabe will be a name that’s remembered at UNC. In 96 career games, he hit .341 and added 30 home runs, 96 RBIs and a 1.131 OPS. What separates him from many others is not only his plate discipline but also the fact that he is a switch hitter.

“It’s kind of a funny story,” McCabe said. “One day when I was younger, I was hitting with a plastic ball and plastic bat in the front yard with my dad. I said that I was going to switch sides. I did it and it kind of stuck from there.”

Switch-hitting does, however, come with its challenges.

“Having two different swings that you have to manage … they don’t necessarily correlate all the time,” McCabe said. “It’s almost having to be two different people and work on two different swings at the same time.”

It’s clear that McCabe’s bat is his best asset, and he continues to find ways to keep improving each year. He went from a .238 batting average in 2020, to .338 in 2021, all the way to .386 this past season.

The Braves are getting one of UNC’s finest and he’s very excited Atlanta was the team to select him.

“Charlotte became like a second home to me,” McCabe said. “It almost feels like I’m getting the state relatively close to home which is really cool.”

After the Braves gave McCabe a $476,500 signing bonus, he headed south, playing two games for the rookie-class Braves entry in the Florida Complex League. Then, he was promoted to the class-A Augusta GreenJackets. His first base hit was a double in a 13-11 win over the Fredricksburg Nationals Aug. 9. He doubled home a run for his first hit as a pro in the seventh to tie the score 8-8 and an inning later, he hit a run-scoring fly ball to give Augusta a 10-9 lead.

McCabe hasn’t been to the new Braves stadium in Atlanta yet, but he’s looking forward to seeing it and has high hopes to play there one day.