A look at Gamecock alums in MLB: April recap

The first month of the Major League Baseball season has come and gone. It was a busy April for a few South Carolina baseball alums playing in The Show.

As the calendar flips to May, let’s take a look at how the five former Gamecocks in the MLB have been performing so far this season.

Jonah Bride — Minnesota Twins

Shortly after the season began, Bride was designated for assignment by the Marlins on April 15. One day later, the former Gamecock was traded to the Twins in exchange for cash considerations. He had been struggling out of the gate with Miami, only hitting .100 in his first 12 games. But since being traded, he’s hit .389 with seven hits and two RBI in 18 at-bats.

Bride raised his batting average more than 50 points after recording six hits in a three-game span from April 26-28. His breakout game came against the Guardians on April 28 when he went 3-for-5 with an RBI single in the Twins’ 11-1 win. He’s mainly been playing third base with his new team.

April stats — AB: 40, H: 9, AVG: .225, OBP: .262, SLG: .225, HR: 0, RBI: 4, K: 12, BB: 2

Jordan Montgomery — Arizona Diamondbacks

Just days before the season began, Montgomery received some bad news when he learned he would need Tommy John surgery. He’ll miss the entire season due to his sprained left ulnar collateral ligament injury.

This is now Montgomery’s second time in his big league career to undergo elbow surgery. He suffered a similar injury back in 2019 when he missed virtually the entire season during his time with the Yankees.

The 32-year-old left-handed pitcher had the worst season of his career when he went 8-7 with a 6.23 ERA in 21 starts with the D-Backs in 2024. He struck out 83 batters and walked 44 as opponents hit .312 against him. With Montgomery set to hit free agency in 2026, there’s no telling what will come next for the former Gamecock.

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Carmen Mlodzinski — Pittsburgh Pirates

In his first chance to start at the big league level, Mldozinski has struggled since earning a spot in the Pirates’ rotation. In five starts this season, the right-hander is 1-3 with a 6.95 ERA, 18 strikeouts and nine walks in 22 innings of work.

Mldozinski’s best start thus far came on April 7 against the Cardinals when he pitched five innings of one-run ball and struck out six with two walks. His latest outing was on Wednesday, as he tossed four innings and gave up two runs with four strikeouts and one walk.

April stats — GS: 5, W-L: 1-2, ERA: 6.04, IP: 22.1, SO: 18, BB: 8, ER: 15, HR: 2, OBA: .316

Clarke Schmidt — New York Yankees

After starting the season on the injured list, Schmidt returned to the Yankees’ rotation and made his first start on April 16 against the Royals. He gave up three runs over 5.2 innings of work.

Schmidt dealt with some struggles in his second start, allowing five runs on seven hits in four innings against the Guardians. But he looked much sharper in his latest outing, pitching five innings of one-run ball to help New York sweep a doubleheader with the Blue Jays on April 27.

April stats — GS: 3, W-L: 0-1, ERA: 5.52, IP: 14.2, SO: 15, BB: 9, ER: 9, HR: 3, OBA: .214

Christian Walker — Houston Astros

It’s been a slow start for Walker, who’s in his first season with the Astros after spending the last eight seasons with the Diamondbacks. Walker turned 34 years old on March 28, just two games into the new season.

So far this year, the veteran first baseman is hitting .196 with four homers and nine RBI in 107 at-bats. He’s been strong with the glove, though, as he hasn’t made an error in 29 games.

Almost all of his offensive numbers are down, including his on-base percentage (.277) and slugging (.355). Despite that, the Astros have been playing better baseball as of late, sitting at 16-14 and two games back in the AL West entering May.

April stats — AB: 91, H: 19, AVG: .209, OBP: .301, SLG: .396, HR: 4, RBI: 9, K: 31, BB: 9

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