The Second of the Ski Patrol – Mitchell Tyranski (LHRP)

The Dodgers needed relievers, so for the 2019 draft, they signed a bunch.

• Jack Little – 5^th round
• Aaron Ochsenbein – 6^th round
• Nick Robertson – 7^th round
• Alec Gamboa – 9^th round
• Mitchell Tyranski – 12^th round
• Jacob Cantleberry – 13^th round
• Sean Mellen – 14^th round
• Jeff Belge – 18^th round
• Braidyn Fink – 19^th round
• Zack Plunkett – 20^th round
• Cyrillo Watson – 23^rd round
• Mark Mixon – 26^th round

Surely someone from that list will make the LAD bullpen at some point.  Perhaps the closest and perhaps the only one with a clear run at a possible bullpen spot is Nick Robertson.  Aaron Ochsenbein is also at AAA, but further down the line.

The Dodgers are down to four of the above still in the organization: Ochsenbein, Robertson, Tyranski, and Cantleberry.  Technically Jack Little is still in the organization, but not in the plans.

The pitcher who could still surprise is LHRP Mitchell Tyranski.  He is an accomplished reliever having won two Robin Roberts awards as the Michigan State Most Valuable Pitcher.

Mitchell Tyranski was born in Birmingham, Michigan, a northern suburb of Detroit.  He matriculated to Birmingham Brother Rice High School in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, where he was a three year letterman.

He went 7-2 with a 1.91 ERA in 55 innings with 46 strikeouts as a junior … As a sophomore, went a perfect 5-0 with a 0.62 ERA in 34 innings with 21 strikeouts … Ranked as the No. 2 left-handed pitcher and No. 9 overall player in Michigan by Perfect Game … Rated as the No. 4 left-handed pitcher Prep Baseball Report.  Tyranski went undrafted, and committed to Michigan State.

Mitchell is not the most famous baseball player coming out of Birmingham Brother Rice.  That honor belongs to DJ LeMahieu.  Also former 1^st round draft pick (23^rd overall) of the Cardinals in 2015, Nick Plummer.

As a freshman at MSU, Tyranski appeared in 17 games with a 3.94 ERA in 16.0 IP.  He was mainly utilized out of the Spartans’ bullpen as a match-up vs. left-handed hitters in late-game situations. He chalked up 18 strikeouts with six walks.

As a sophomore:

Tyranski made 27 appearances with one start, posting a 2-2 record and tied for team-best five saves … Posted a 2.42 ERA, limiting opponents to just .227 with 54 strikeouts, often utilized as a match-up vs. left-handed hitters in late-game situations … Ranked fifth in B1G in ERA and eighth in opposing batting average, along with tied for seventh in B1G with five saves, as well as tied for ninth in B1G only action with two saves in conference games … Tied for 12th overall in strikeouts looking with 18 KLs and ranked eighth in B1G only with 13 strikeouts looking … Tied for seventh in B1G in appearances both overall (27) and conference only games (12), as well as tying for seventh in conference only games in relief (12) and tying for eighth in B1G overall with 26 games in relief … Had streak of four appearances without allowing a run (March 24-April 1), and did not allow a run in a total of 17 of his 26 appearances … Tallied nine appearances without yielding a hit … Went at least 4.0 IP in three appearances, including career-long 4.1 IP vs. Pepperdine (Feb. 24) … Fired career-high nine strikeouts vs. Nebraska (April 7), one of eight appearances with three or more Ks.

As a junior:

Led MSU and ranked sixth in the B1G with 89 strikeouts overall in 78.0 IP total … The 89 strikeouts is tied for eighth on MSU’s single-season strikeouts list, matching Ron Perranoski (1958) … In B1G only action, was third in both strikeouts (61) and innings pitched (53.2), along with tied for fifth in conference wins (4) … Was also fourth in the B1G with a 4.94 strikeout-to-walk ratio and eighth in the league with 10.27 strikeouts per nine innings … In his final outing of the season, threw a complete game with seven strikeouts in leading MSU to a 5-2 win over No. 23 Illinois on May 17 … It was his first complete game as a Spartan, topping his previous career-high of 8.0 IP vs. Northwestern on April 27 … The seven strikeouts gave him five or more Ks in all 10 of his starts, as he won his last four outings in a row … Now has 161 career strikeouts, and will enter his senior season needing just 19 more to reach the top 10 on MSU’s career strikeout list.

Tyranski won the prestigious Robin Roberts Award for Most Valuable Pitcher for his sophomore and junior campaign.

Mitchell never made it to MSU as a senior as he was drafted in the 12^th round of the 2019 draft and signed with the Dodgers.

Leading up to the draft, Perfect Game ranked him at No. 477 and offered  a brief write-up.

“Tyranski had primarily pitched out of the bullpen in his career leading into 2019, and with great results as a sophomore. He was moved to the rotation in 2019 out of necessity and fared well with a 3.81 ERA across 78 innings, with 89 strikeouts and only 18 walks. The stuff had some inconsistencies throughout the spring, but when he’s right he can sit in the low-90s with his fastball and complement it with a power, bat-missing curveball. He may transition back to the bullpen in professional baseball where that fastball/curveball combo could play up.”

MLB Pipeline on Tyranski  who wrote his changeup is his best pitch, sits around 90 mph with his fastball, lands curveball for strikes, good feel.

Tyranski had a great start to his professional career in 2019.  Over 22 innings pitched with the AZL Dodgers and Ogden Raptors he posted a 1.23 ERA and a 0.55 WHIP along with and eye-popping 40 strikeouts and three walks in 22.0 IP. Perhaps as a 21-year-old he simply overmatched opposing hitters at those levels.

His 2020 season was lost as it was for all minor league players.  But he disappeared in 2021 and 2022 as he lost both years due to injuries.  There is nothing that I could find to advise as to what that injury/injuries was/were.  However he appears back in the fold. On 03/23, Tyranski entered the game in the 9th   He struck out a pair of low A players, Gavin Conticello and Alvin Guzman, and Jakey Josepha a 2022 DSL player.  On the surface that may not appear to be impressive, but it is the first meaningful inning he has pitched since 2019.  Still a nice way to come back.

The way the Dodgers protect arms, I would not be at all surprised if Tyranski was assigned to extended ST, and then assigned to Great Lakes.  If he is successful, he should find his way to AA to see how he competes.  He is 25, and the Dodgers need to see him at the upper levels before too long.