Carmen Alexander Mlodzinski Bio
Carmen Alexander Mlodzinski (born February 19, 1999) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball. He played college baseball at the University of South Carolina and was selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates with the 31st overall pick of the 2020 Major League Baseball draft, making his major league debut in 2023.
Early Life and Background
Carmen Mlodzinski was born in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, and attended Hilton Head Island High School. In his senior season in 2017 he was named the South Carolina 4A Player of the Year, a recognition that capped a standout high school career and preceded his college commitment.
After going undrafted in 2017 because he had committed to college, Mlodzinski enrolled at the University of South Carolina and joined the South Carolina Gamecocks baseball program. His freshman and sophomore seasons included mixed results and an injury in 2019 that cost him the remainder of that year, but he returned to pitch in the Cape Cod Baseball League that summer for the Falmouth Commodores.
Path to Baseball
At the University of South Carolina, Mlodzinski progressed from a freshman with mixed results to a highly regarded prospect. As a freshman he logged more than 45 innings with 43 strikeouts, and although a foot injury shortened his 2019 season, he rebuilt value over the summer in the Cape Cod Baseball League where he posted a 1.83 ERA with 43 strikeouts and five walks in 34 1/3 innings.
Entering the 2020 season as a top prospect, Mlodzinski compiled a 2.84 ERA across four starts before the college season was cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic. His performance and prospect status led to the Pittsburgh Pirates choosing him with the 31st overall selection in the 2020 draft and signing him to a $2.05 million bonus on July 2, 2020.
Carmen Mlodzinski Career
Early Career (2021–2022)
Mlodzinski made his professional debut in 2021 with the Greensboro Grasshoppers of High-A East. Over 14 starts for Greensboro he went 2–3 with a 3.93 ERA and recorded 64 strikeouts in 50 1/3 innings, a strong strikeout rate that helped earn him a late-season promotion to the Indianapolis Indians of Triple-A, where he logged two innings, and an assignment to the Arizona Fall League for the Peoria Javelinas after the season.
In 2022 he opened the year at Double-A Altoona, where he made 27 appearances (22 starts) and compiled a 6–8 record with a 4.78 ERA and 111 strikeouts in 105 1/3 innings. The season included a brief injured list stint due to a shoulder issue, but he returned quickly and finished the year with a full slate of innings against Double-A competition.
MLB Breakthrough (2023–2024)
Mlodzinski began 2023 with the Indianapolis Indians at Triple-A and was promoted to the Pittsburgh Pirates on June 16, 2023, when he was added to the 40-man roster. He remained with the major league club for the rest of the season, making 35 appearances for Pittsburgh and posting a 3–3 record with a 2.25 ERA and 34 strikeouts in 32 innings before an elbow soreness issue led to an injured list stint and a one-game rehab assignment with Indianapolis.
Throughout 2024 Mlodzinski dealt with periodic right elbow inflammation but returned to contribute at both Triple-A and the major league level. He finished the 2024 campaign for Pittsburgh with a 5–5 record and a 3.38 ERA, adding 46 strikeouts in 50 2/3 innings while moving between starts and relief appearances as the club managed his workload and health.
Pittsburgh Pirates Era (2025–Present)
The Pirates named Mlodzinski their fifth starter to open the 2025 season, and he produced nine early starts before being optioned to Indianapolis in May. Pittsburgh recalled him on June 11 and moved him back into the bullpen, where he finished the year making a total of 34 appearances, including 12 starts, and compiled a 5–8 record with a 3.55 ERA and 89 strikeouts across 99 innings for the 2025 season.
Heading into 2026 he began the year again as the fifth starter but shifted roles as the season progressed. On April 15, 2026, Mlodzinski delivered a notable relief performance, throwing six scoreless innings in relief in a 2–0 win versus the Washington Nationals and becoming the first Pirates pitcher since Steve Cooke in 1992 to record at least six scoreless relief innings. In late May the club announced he would be moved to the bullpen full time; he was briefly placed on and then removed from the restricted list as the team formalized the role change.
Driving Style and Strengths
Mlodzinski has shown a high strikeout rate at multiple levels of competition, from Cape Cod League dominance to consistent strikeout totals in the minors and majors. His ability to work as both a starter and reliever, combined with repeated returns from injury managed by Pittsburgh, underline a profile of a pitcher with swing-and-miss capability and the versatility to fill multiple roles in a big-league pitching staff.
Notable Events and Milestones
Key milestones include being the 31st overall pick in the 2020 MLB draft and signing for a $2.05 million bonus, making his major league debut in 2023, and the April 15, 2026 six-inning scoreless relief outing that matched a club feat not seen since 1992. His progress through Greensboro, Altoona and Indianapolis to Pittsburgh traces a steady climb through the Pirates system despite periodic injury interruptions.
Carmen Alexander Mlodzinski Career Wins
Through June 28, 2026, Carmen Mlodzinski has accumulated 17 major league wins, 229 strikeouts and a 3.31 earned run average, reflecting his contributions in both starting and relief assignments for the Pittsburgh Pirates. His professional record includes time as a starter in the minors and a mixed starter/reliever role in the majors.
MLB Highlights
Mlodzinski made his major league debut in 2023 and finished that season with a 3–3 record and a 2.25 ERA in 35 appearances, showcasing his immediate effectiveness at the major league level. His cumulative major league totals through June 28, 2026, include a 17–19 record, a 3.31 ERA and 229 strikeouts, underscoring his capacity to generate outs via strikeout across multiple seasons.
Other Wins & Perfromances
At the minor league level he posted notable strikeout totals, including 64 strikeouts in 50 1/3 innings at High-A Greensboro in 2021 and 111 strikeouts in 105 1/3 innings at Double-A Altoona in 2022. His Cape Cod League summer in 2019 with the Falmouth Commodores produced a 1.83 ERA and 43 strikeouts in 34 1/3 innings, a performance that helped elevate his draft stock ahead of 2020.
2025 Season Performance
During the 2025 season Mlodzinski began as Pittsburghs fifth starter but was sent to Triple-A after nine starts following a 1–4 stretch with a 5.67 ERA. The Pirates recalled him in June and moved him to the bullpen, and he finished the year with 34 appearances, including 12 starts, a 5–8 record and a 3.55 ERA while striking out 89 batters across 99 innings.
The 2025 campaign demonstrated Mlodzinskis flexibility and the Pirates willingness to deploy him where roster needs and his effectiveness intersected, alternating between starting duties and high-leverage relief work. That season set the stage for his permanent bullpen role in 2026 and included key innings that showed he could handle extended relief outings as well as occasional starts.