seventeen-year-old mauro was signed as an amateur free agent by the chicago cubs before the 1944 season. the young outfielder was farmed out to the lockport cubs of the class d pony league, where he appeared in 89 games and hit .294. carmen spent his first five seasons in the minors, hitting over .300 twice: first in 1945, in a split season with the class b hagerstown owls and the portsmouth cubs, hitting .305 with 6 homers; secondly in 1947, when he hit .308 for the des moines bruins of the class a western league.