The Pittsburgh Pirates entered 2026 with Carmen Mlodzinski in their starting rotation. It is their second attempt at making the right-hander and 2020 first round competitive balance pick a Major League starting pitcher. On the surface, Mlodzinski’s numbers are not bad. He owns a 3.28 ERA, with a 24.1% strikeout rate, and 9.3% walk rate. However, the bottom line doesn’t tell the whole story, and it might be time for the Pirates to consider moving the right-hander to another role.
Second time’s a charm?
When the Pirates attempted to use Mlodzinski as a starter last year, the results were not pretty. In nine starts, Mlodzinski had a 5.67 ERA, 4.35 FIP, and 1.61 WHIP over 39.2 innings pitched. While he only walked 6.7% of opponents, his strikeout percentage clocked in at an unimpressive 15.6% rate. Mlodzinski struggled mightily to make it through the order a second time, and lasted five innings just three times.
The Pirates moved Mlodzinski back to the bullpen, where he found his footing once again. His final 59.1 innings of the season yielded a 2.12 ERA, 2.65 FIP, and 1.10 WHIP. He kept up his quality 6.3% walk rate, but upped his K% to a much better 25.5%. On top of that, his HR/9 and barrel rate went from 1.13 and 7.9% as a starter to 0.46 and 4.4% as a reliever, respectively. He primarily worked as a multi-inning arm.
For what it’s worth, Mlodzinski is having no problems getting through the order a second time. His opponent’s OPS the first time through the order as a SP is .636. The second time he faces an opponent, his opponent’s OPS actually goes down slightly to .633. However, he has gotten ripped apart the third time through the order. Opponents knock Mlodzinski around the yard for a 1.288 OPS when they face him for the third time. That is like going from 2025 Isiah Kiner-Falefa (.631 OPS) to 2003 Barry Bonds (1.278 OPS). Unless Mlodzinski faces the minimum, he will be digging into the order for a third go around by the fifth inning or earlier.
Use an opener
So far, Mlodzinski’s best outing this year was when the Pirates used Southpaw Mason Montgomery as an opener for him. The flamethrowing lefty kicked the game off with a scoreless frame, then passed the rock to Mlodzinski. He proceeded to fire off six scoreless innings while striking out five and only allowing two batters to reach via free pass. It was the longest outing of Mlodzinski’s career thus far, and marked the first time he tallied six innings in a game.
Of course, it was only one game, so it’s not a guarantee to work again. Plus, that would mean the Pirates are burning a bullpen arm early in a contest. Their bullpen depth is very thin, so if it backfires, the Pirates’ bullpen is hamstrung, not just for that game, but potentially for the next one as well.
Piggyback starts
The Pirates could use Mlodzinski as a hybrid opener/starter and piggyback him with another pitcher. So far, he has struggled to make it through five innings, so limiting him to just three or four frames per start would not change much. After three or four innings, the Pirates can put Wilber Dotel in the game to pitch. Jared Jones could also factor into this once he returns from the injured list.
This isn’t a role Mlodzinski is unfamiliar with, either. Last year, he started three games after he was pulled from the rotation. In one instance, he gave in to Colin Holderman and Andrew Heaney. The other two times, he was substituted for Bubba Chandler. Between the three games, Mlodzinski pitched nine innings, struck out eight, walked four, and allowed just two earned runs.
The best option
While Mlodzinski looks better this year as a starter compared to last year, the Pirates aren’t getting much length out of his starts. Getting to at least five innings in one of his five starts so far puts a strain on the Pirates’ bullpen, so they need to work around that. The Pirates should consider using him in a piggyback role. He is already only going four innings at a time. The Bucs should use that to their advantage, let another pitcher get through the first few innings, then let him come out of the pen for the next four frames so he can dominate.
(Top Image Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images)
