Movement on pitches makes Carmen Mlodzinski a high-ceiling prospect for Pirates

When Carmen Mlodzinski committed to South Carolina before his sophomore year of high school, he was a shortstop with a strong arm who was warned that he might end up on the mound.

How Mlodzinski (pronounced Ma-gin-skee) became a pitcher who was a first-day draft pick of the Pittsburgh Pirates is another story. For the 21-year-old right-hander, switching positions was the first step toward tapping into a potential major league career.

“Flying under the radar, I guess, is a good way to put it,” Mlodzinski said Thursday on a Zoom call. “It’s always good to be an underdog.”

The Pirates took Mlodzinski on Wednesday night with the 31st overall pick — the second selection in the competitive balance round — as much for the movement on his pitches as for his four-pitch repertoire. The pick is slotted for a $2.312 million signing bonus.

The moment #Gamecocks RHP Carmen Mlodzinski officially got drafted pic.twitter.com/BUxmKXYbVa

— GamecockCentral.com (@GamecockCentral) June 11, 2020

With the 31st pick in the #MLBDraft, we have selected Carmen Mlodzinski from the University of South Carolina.

Welcome to the Burgh, Carmen! pic.twitter.com/CKN3fIyM1f

— Pirates (@Pirates) June 11, 2020

A native of Hilton Head Island, S.C., Mlodzinski didn’t pitch until his junior year of high school, when he threw fewer than 10 innings. By the time he was a senior, Mlodzinski was throwing primarily a two-seam fastball and curveball and told MLB teams not to draft him.

“I was just really, really raw,” Mlodzinski said. “I felt I could step up my game and potentially go a lot higher if I went to college for three years and just polished up.”

Now, he throws a sinker — a two-seamer — as his predominant fastball. He has added a four-seamer and what he calls a “cutter-slash-slider” he is developing into a power slider. Going into his sophomore season, Mlodzinski added a changeup that could become his secondary pitch.

Carmen Mlodzinski is the 15th player in school history to go in the 1st round of the MLB draft. The @Pirates are getting a good one!
???⚾️ #THESHOW

||@CoachKingUSC
||@SkylarTMeade pic.twitter.com/NqX0pWGwz8

— Vizor Carolina (@VizorSportsSC) June 11, 2020

Despite two shortened seasons at South Carolina — Mlodzinski pitched only three games before a broken foot ended his 2019 season and was 2-1 with a 2.84 ERA with 22 strikeouts in 25 1/3 innings over four starts before the coronavirus crisis ended his season this spring — the Pirates were impressed with how he performed in the Cape Cod summer league.

Pitching for Falmouth, Mlodzinski boasted a 1.83 ERA with 43 strikeouts and five walks in 34 1/3 innings. More importantly, he showed a fierce competitive fire and plenty of movement on his pitches.

“He has a variety of pitches that can move in different directions,” Pirates amateur scouting director Joe DelliCarri said. “That’s first and foremost. He’s worked on a little bit of cutter as well as a slider, curveball and makes his fastball move to both sides of the plate. It’s simple for us: competitor, strong and he can really make the ball move.”

Since arriving at South Carolina in December 2018, after Mlodzinski’s redshirt freshman year, pitching coach Skylar Meade has watched how the 6-foot-2, 232-pounder has worked to build a balanced repertoire.

Meade saw a simple separation and easy throwing motion by a big-bodied pitcher who was short on experience but long on motivation and a willingness to work. With Mlodzinski’s four-pitch repertoire, powerful frame and an arm with low mileage, Meade believes there is a high ceiling.

“He’s always had that great sink on the ball,” Meade said. “As his career has developed and he was able to utilize some different pitches, the great life on the fastball was balanced out by some differentiation in his off-speed. He’s a quick learner. Some guys what takes two months, he can learn in two hours or two days. …

“He’s only going to get better and better, of course. You’re looking at a guy that I think he can pitch 15 years of pro ball. The arm hasn’t been taxed. The body is strong. There’s an arsenal of pitches that makes him project to be a starter for a long time. And he’s a professional. The kid will not waste a penny of that money he gets. Everything is about him being as good of a baseball player as he can be.”