A look at Gamecocks in MLB: June recap

The Major League Baseball season has already reached the halfway point with the All-Star break around the corner. It’s been a busy year for the multiple former Gamecocks in the big leagues.

As the calendar flips to July, let’s take a look at how the five Gamecock alums have been performing so far this season.

Jonah Bride — Minnesota Twins

In what’s been a tough season for the former South Carolina infielder, the Twins designated Bride for assignment on June 29. This news comes as the team is set to activate starting shortstop Royce Lewis off the injured list.

What does this mean for Bride? He’ll be removed from the club’s 40-man roster, and the Twins will have a period (usually 7 days) to either trade, release, or outright release him. During this time, another team can claim him off waivers.

The 29-year-old is hitting .170/.248/.188 with no home runs and five RBI in 112 at-bats. He opened the year with the Miami Marlins before being traded to the Twins, where he’s been for 33 games this season.

June stats — AB: 20, H: 2, AVG: .100, OBP: .217, SLG: .100, HR: 0, RBI: 0, K: 8, BB: 3

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 Montgomery’s second time in his big league career undergoing elbow surgery. He suffered a similar injury in 2019 and virtually missed the entire season with the Yankees.

The 32-year-old left-handed pitcher had the worst season of his career after going 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.

Stay on top of all things Gamecocks for just $1 for 7 days—lock in this special offer today!

Carmen Mlodzinski — Pittsburgh Pirates

Since the Pirates recalled Mlodzinski on June 11, he’s fared much better on the mound. Now pitching out of the bullpen, the right-hander only allowed four earned runs in June, all of which came in one outing. Besides that, he was lights out the rest of the way. He’s coming off a June 29 outing where he tossed 3.2 scoreless innings in a 12-1 win over the New York Mets.

On the season, Mlodzinski has made 14 appearances with nine starts and pitched to a 5.08 ERA in 51.1 innings. He’s struck out 36 batters and walked 16, as opponents are hitting .307 against him. Numbers can be deceiving, though, since he’s pitched to a 3.52 ERA in the last two months.

June stats — GS: 0, App: 5, W-L: 1-1, ERA: 3.09, IP: 11.2, SO: 8, BB: 4, ER: 4, HR: 2, OBA: .292

Clarke Schmidt — New York Yankees

Schmidt went on a dominant run in June and at one point pitched 28.1 scoreless innings, the longest by a Yankees starting pitcher in the Expansion Era (since 1961), according to the Elias Sports Bureau. It’s also the longest scoreless streak by a starting pitcher in the MLB this season, eclipsing a 28-inning scoreless stretch by Houston Astros right-hander Hunter Brown.

His streak came to an end in his most recent start as he gave up four runs in six innings of work against the Athletics on June 28. In his previous start, however, he had a no-hitter going through seven innings before exiting his June 21 outing with 103 pitches, the most he’s thrown all season. He struck out five with two walks in a 9-0 win over the Baltimore Orioles.

With the Yankees clinging to their first-place standing in the AL East, Schmidt has had a nice year and gone 4-4 with a 3.09 ERA in 75.2 innings of work.

June stats — GS: 5, W-L: 2-2, ERA: 1.95, IP: 32.1, SO: 30, BB: 8, ER: 7, HR: 3, OBA: .150

Christian Walker — Houston Astros

Almost halfway through his first season with Houston, it still seems like Walker is figuring things out with his new team after another up-and-down month. The 34-year-old is hitting .213/.278/.357 with 10 homers and 37 RBI in 305 at-bats.

Walker’s defense has almost been on the same level as years past, fielding at a .992 clip through 81 games. Although he’s made five errors at first base, one more than he had combined in 2023 and 2024.

June stats — AB: 95, H: 21, AVG: .221, OBP: .288, SLG: .358, HR: 3, RBI: 12, K: 30, BB: 9

Discuss South Carolina baseball on The Insiders Forum!