A look at Gamecock alums in MLB: September recap

After 162 games, the 2025 Major League Baseball regular season is officially in the books, which means only one thing. It’s time for postseason baseball.

As of Tuesday, the MLB Wild Card Series is currently underway with 12 teams left standing for a chance to win the World Series. Unlike years past, there won’t be any big leaguers who went to South Carolina on postseason rosters.

But as the calendar flips to October, let’s take a look at how each of the Gamecock alums performed this month and overall in the regular season.

Jonah Bride — Minnesota Twins

Bride never made it back up to the big leagues after his last action with the Twins came on June 29. He spent the rest of the season with the St. Paul Saints, Minnesota’s Triple-A affiliate, where he hit .281 with five homers and 24 RBI in 43 games.

Splitting time with the Miami Marlins and Twins this year, Bride hit .170 with no homers and five RBI in 112 at-bats over 45 games. He’ll turn 30 years old on Dec. 27. He’s set to hit arbitration once the offseason begins in a few weeks.

Carlos Cortes — Athletics

Cortes had the best month of his young career in September. He hit his first big league homer on Sept. 6, which came with a little bit of an asterisk. The A’s were beating the Los Angeles Angels 9-1 at the time, and Cortes’ three-run homer in the eighth inning came off Angels second baseman Scott Kingery, who was brought in to pitch.

Cortes continued to hit well throughout the month, earning his first multi-homer game against the Cincinnati Reds on Sept. 12. He homered once more the following day, giving him three in the series.

In 42 games after being called up, Cortes hit .309 with four homers and 14 RBI in 94 at-bats. It was a very productive first run at the MLB level for the 28-year-old rookie.

September stats — AB: 35, H: 11, AVG: .314, OBP: .324, SLG: .743, HR: 4, RBI: 9, K: 3, BB: 1

Jordan Montgomery — Milwaukee Brewers

The Brewers had a fantastic regular season and finished with a season-high 97 wins. They’ll be the top seed on the National League side of the playoff bracket and begin NLDS play this weekend. Montgomery, however, wasn’t a factor at all during the regular season and won’t be one in October.

Montgomery hasn’t pitched this year after undergoing Tommy John surgery. He was traded from the Arizona Diamondbacks to Milwaukee during the trade deadline.

The 32-year-old had his worst season after going 8-7 with a 6.23 ERA in 21 starts in 2024. He struck out 83 batters and walked 44 as opponents hit .312 against him. Montgomery is set to hit free agency after this season.

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Carmen Mlodzinski — Pittsburgh Pirates

Mlodzinski’s third big league season came to an end as the Pirates’ playoff drought will continue for a 10th straight season. The right-hander last allowed a run back on Sept. 5 and finished the year with five consecutive scoreless outings.

Amongst all relievers, the Pirates utilized Mlodzinski more than any other pitcher in their bullpen as he pitched in 99 innings this season. The 26-year-old went 5-8 with a 3.55 ERA, striking out 89 batters and walking 27.

September stats — GS: 1, App: 7, W-L: 2-1, ERA: 1.80, IP: 15.0, SO: 15, BB: 4, ER: 3, HR: 0, OBA: .255

Clarke Schmidt — New York Yankees

As the Yankees get set to open postseason play, Schmidt, the team’s game three starting pitcher in last year’s World Series, won’t be out there. Schmidt’s season came to an abrupt halt after a three-inning start in Toronto on July 3. The next day, he was placed on the injured list with right forearm tightness and later learned he would need to undergo Tommy John surgery.

Schmidt will miss the rest of this season and could miss all of 2026 as well, given the usual 13-15 month recovery timeline for TJ procedures. It’s a tough blow for the 29-year-old in the prime of his career.

Schmidt went 4-4 with a 3.32 ERA over 14 starts before the injury. He struck out 73 batters and walked 30 while holding opponents to a .199 average in 78.2 innings.

Christian Walker — Houston Astros

Walker’s first season with the Astros has come to an end after Houston missed the postseason for the first time since 2016. The 34-year-old ended the year on a high note, homering four times in his last three games, including two on the final day of the regular season against the Los Angeles Angels.

It turned out to be a weird year for Walker after signing a three-year deal with his new team during the offseason. He slashed .238/.297/.421, his lowest full-season totals of his career. Yet he still hit 27 homers and drove in 88 runs, keeping pace with his numbers over the last few years. But he also struck out a career-high 177 times in 585 at-bats.

Walker will turn 35 years old on March 28, two days after Opening Day in 2026.

September stats — AB: 90, H: 22, AVG: .244, OBP: .277, SLG: .478, HR: 6, RBI: 14, K: 31, BB: 3

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