Pittsburgh Pirates: Examining Potential Future for 3 Pitching Prospects

The Pittsburgh Pirates have multiple notable pitching prospects coming up through the system, so what does the future hold for these three?

The future of the Pittsburgh Pirates pitching staff looks bright. By this time next season, the Pirates could be rocking a three-headed monster at the top of the rotation with Roansy Contreras, Mike Burrows, and Quinn Priester. Not to mention that JT Brubaker has been very solid this season, and Zach Thompson was doing well before hitting the injured list. Even Keller has shown some signs of life with his newly added sinker.

That’s already a decent-looking group for 2023, but there are many more upcoming prospects who might find a more difficult time getting starts. Things can obviously change in a year’s time: maybe Keller’s recent hot streak isn’t long-term, or Thompson or Brubaker’s season won’t last. But as things stand right now, the Pirates have a multitude of young pitchers in the upper minors. So what role could we see these three be in next season?

Carmen Mlodzinski

The Pirates drafted Carmen Mlodzinski 31st overall two years ago in the 2020 draft. Since being drafted, Mlodzinski has become one of the Bucs’ better pitching prospects. He’s had a solid season this year and, as we’ve discussed previously, could now soon be looking at a promotion to Triple-A.

Now on the surface, a 4.17 ERA, 3.99 FIP, and 1.39 WHIP aren’t very impressive. However, of the 25 earned runs he has given up, 11 came in his first three outings (he’s pitched in a total of 14 games with 13 being starts). His last 42.2 innings have yielded a quality 3.37 ERA, 3.45 FIP, and 1.34 WHIP. He’s given up just three long balls while striking out nearly a quarter of batters faced (24.7% strikeout rate). His 9.3% walk rate might not be overly impressive, but it’s slightly better than the league average of 9.9%.

Mlodzinski throws a fastball, slider, and changeup. All of his offerings are considered average to above average. His command might not be top of the line, but he gets the job done. He’ll usually sit in the mid-90s but can reel back and unleash some upper-90s heat when he needs to. He might not be the best prospect in the system, but he has the outlook of a quality no. 3 starter.

To me, Mlodzinski is one of the most overlooked starters in the organization. He’s not super flashy, doesn’t throw 98-100 MPH, and doesn’t have that wipeout breaking ball that gets prospects so much attention. But what he does do is go out and give a quality performance. I think Mlodzinski could be the 4th starter behind Burrows, Contreras, and Priester.