Carmen Mlodzinski

Mlodzinski (pronounced ‘Muh-jin-ski’) had some top-five round grades from clubs coming out of Hilton Head (S.C.) High, but he made it to campus at South Carolina, A foot injury limited him to just three games in 2019, but Mlodzinski entered the 2020 season as a redshirt sophomore with some of the most hype in the country following an exceptional summer in the Cape Cod League. He ranked as the top pitcher in the league with a fastball up to 97-98 mph, an impressive slider and cutter and a 2.15 ERA over six starts, with 40 strikeouts to just four walks. He managed just four starts before the season shut down, posting a 2.84 ERA in 25.1 innings with less gaudy strikeout numbers but plenty of ground balls induced. Mlodzinski sits in the 92-94 mph range and shows 96-97 at times. The pitch is a heavy sinking fastball that generates tons of ground balls but doesn't as miss many bats as scouts would like. After flashing a plus slider and cutter in the Cape, Mlodzinski’s breaking balls were more above-average or solid this spring, with the slider lacking the depth and tilt he previously showed and the cutter sitting 89-91 mph. He's tinkered with a curveball that was fringe-average at times, and also infrequently throws a changeup that needs further refinement. Without a true swing-and-miss offering, it’s more difficult to see Mlodzinski going at the top of the first round. As a physical, 6-foot-2, 231-pound righty who throws a lot of strikes, has a clean arm action and forces hitters to beat the ball into the ground, he still offers reasonable upside as a middle or back-of-the-rotation starter.