Pirates select South Carolina pitcher Carmen Mlodzinski No. 31 overall

With the 31st pick in the 2020 MLB Draft, the Pittsburgh Pirates selected Carmen Mlodzinski, a right-hander out of South Carolina.

Mlodzinski's journey to the draft was an arduous one after generating some hype out of high school and going undrafted. After finally earning the No. 1 starter gig with the Gamecocks as a sophomore, Mlodzinski broke his foot and missed the majority of 2019.

A dominant stint in the wooden-bat Cape Cod League showed scouts that the performance could match the tools, though, and he cemented his chances of becoming a first-rounder.

Bio

Age: 21
Position: RHP
Height/Weight: 6-foot-2, 232 lbs
Bats/Throws: R/R
School: South Carolina
Pick value (#31): $2,312,000

Tools

• Fastball (92-96 mph, touches 99 mph)
• Slider (55-grade)
• Change-up (55-grade)
• Three-quarters arm slot with decent command

Why you're going to love this guy

• 10-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio in Cape League with 0.65 WHIP
• High probability to make majors as starter
• Good at generating weak contact
• Experiments with additional pitches

Things he'll need to overcome

• Lacks true "out" pitch at times
• Really struggled in early collegiate career

2020 stats

Take a look ...