Carmen
Mlodzinski

2020 DRAFT: The 6-foot-2, 215 pound righty showed overpowering stuff with a live fastball up to 97 mph and a plus breaking ball. Some call it a slider, others a hard curveball. No matter which is chosen, it's a swing/miss pitch. Thrown at 81-84 mph with a 2500+ rpm spin rate, it has power, slant and depth to its bite. The pitch should play even better with the development of a straight four-seamer he can run in and under a right-handed hitter's hands. His sinking/tailing fastball showed late life and ranged mostly from 92-94 mph with a spin rate in the 1950-2050 range. With its plus movement and consistent location down in the zone, his fastball induces a ton of ground balls, but it can play down due to his below average extension out front (5'6-5'9"). His third pitch is an 82-85 mph changeup that plays well off his fastball. The cambio induced a 30% swing/miss rate in four starts this season, while allowing only one hit. His fourth pitch is an 88-89 mph baby cutter with a 2400 rpm spin rate, but it currently tends to flatten out too much at times. His top-notch command is the result of a controlled, yet athletic delivery that he repeats with a consistent three-quarter release point.  Although his spring stuff was similar to his summer, the results were strong, but not as brilliant (2-1, 2.84 ERA, 25 IP, 8 BB, 22 SO). Regardless, Mlodzinski will likely be selected in the top 25-30 picks.

8/13/19: Although he wasn’t selected to the Cape Cod All-Star game, Mlodzinski dominated this summer with 40 strikeouts against four walks in 29.1 IP while allowing only 15 hits for a 2.14 ERA. His top-notch command is the result of a controlled, yet athletic delivery that he repeats with a consistent three-quarter release point. The 6-foot-2, 215 pound righty has overpowering stuff with a live fastball up to 96 mph and a plus breaking ball. Some call it a slider, others a hard curveball. No matter which is chosen, it’s a swing/miss pitch. Thrown at 80-82 mph with a 2500 rpm spin rate, it has power, slant and depth to its bite. He expanded away to his gloveside and used the front door to right-handed hitters on occasion. The pitch should play even better with the development of a straight four-seamer he can run in and under a right-handed hitter’s hands. His sinking/tailing fastball showed late life and ranged mostly from 92-94 mph with an average spin rate of 2050 rpm. Despite its plus movement and consistent location down in the zone, his fastball played down a bit due to its below average extension out front (5’6”). Instead of a changeup, his third pitch was an 88-89 mph baby cutter which he only threw on a couple of occasions during his 59-pitch, five inning start at Orleans. After breaking his foot during a March 1 start against Clemson and sitting out the remainder of last spring, Mlodzinski should return as the Friday night starter for the Gamecocks next season. His current stuff and pitchability are Day One worthy and will likely go in the top 50 picks with a healthy season and continued strong performance. The development of a changeup will only enhance his draft value. (Seifert)