Rank History
| Year | Team | Position | Team Rank | OFP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | PIT | RHP | 7 | 50 |
Grades Update: Jan 2021
| OFP | Role | FB | CT | SL | CH | Ctr/Com |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 | 50 | 50 | 55 | 50 | 50 | 50/45 |
Jan 2021 Report
Evaluator: Jason Kamlowsky
Age: 22 yr
Height: 6-2
Weight: 230 lbs
Hits/Throws: R/R
Acquired: 2020 Round 1
RuleV: 2023
Physical Description: Average height with strong lower body. Sturdily-built righty with college pedigree. Despite being just 6'2 he is long through his waist and legs. In terms of development, his upper body is lagging behind the lower body. Can still fill out some through his chest and forearms. Solid through his core and then has a nice wide base in his hips. Good mound presence and competes every pitch. Foot surgery caused him to miss most of his sophomore year at South Carolina.
Delivery & Mechanics: Throws with more of a short-armed delivery than 3/4 slot giving him a fair amount of deception, especially on his offspeed pitches. More pronounced leg kick from the windup than the stretch. Good tempo though his delivery and his body stays centered through his balance point. Gets good drive down through his front side and full extension into his release. A fair amount of effort in his delivery but it is repeatable. Mechanics do not need a lot of polish, which is to be expected for a three-year college guy.
Fastball: Throws a heavy ball. Fastball velocity has ranged anywhere between 92-98 but sits comfortably in the low-to-mid 90's. Gets good late life to both planes. Likes to run it in on right-handed hitters and has had success doing so. Command is above average and throws to both sides of the plate with authority. Elevates hitters eye level at peak velocity generating swings and misses. Above average command. Inconsistent velocity dampens projection a bit. Grade: 50
Cutter: 94-96 MPH. Mid-90's power pitch with tremendous late run. Pounds righties in on their hands inducing weak contact and handcuffing hitters. Release point helps him get a fair amount of deception. Leans on it in all counts but is most effective when ahead. Plus pitch that should help him accelerate through the system. Grade: 55
Slider: Slider: 80-82 MPH with good depth. Has already used it as a strikeout offering and can drop it into the zone. Really tough pitch on lefties as it starts in the middle of the plate and falls out of the zone to their back foot but has also shown propensity to front door righties. Compliments the fastball well because of the velocity drop and slurvy feel. Would like to see him throw it with more regularity. Could develop into a plus pitch that help him reach his ceiling. Grade: 50
Changeup: Changeup: 79-81 MPH with sinking action. Velocity drop take almost 14 MPH off his fastball. Thrown exclusively to the bottom of the zone and plays well off the sinker and slider/cutter action of his other two secondaries. Grade: 50
Control and Command: Is a jack of trades with throwing a variation of five different pitches. Can throw all of his pitches for strikes, although the secondaries with less consistency. Made strides at the Cape walking just five in 34.1 innings and continued that success in an abbreviated junior season at South Carolina. Fastball command has improved. Better command of the Sinker/Cutter combination will be needed to unlock the true potential. Changeup command is fringe average. Sequences well, setting up hitters to both sides of the plate. Has a good feel for how to pitch but is more control over command at this point. Control: 50 | Command: 45
Overall: Mlodzinski has some intrigue as a guy with a potential four-pitch mix who has pitched at a high level both in college and the Cape. The velocity has been a little inconsistent but if he can hold his mid-90's fastball and sinker that will vastly enhance his overall profile. He's a student of the game and has a plus makeup with a reputation for being one of the hardest working guys in the South Carolina program. The Pirates are retooling their system so Mlodzinski may end up advancing relatively quickly and end up in Pittsburgh as soon as 2023.
OFP: 50
Role: 50 - #4-#5 SP or High Leverage Reliever
Risk: High
