Samuel Carlson (born December 3, 1998) is an American professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

in the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...

organization.

Amateur career

Carlson attended Burnsville High School in

Burnsville, Minnesota Burnsville ( ) is a city south of downtown Minneapolis in Dakota County, Minnesota. The city is situated on a bluff overlooking the south bank of the Minnesota River, upstream from its confluence with the Mississippi River. Burnsville and nea ...

. During his senior year, Carlson had a jump in velocity, going from the 88–92 miles per hour range to 93–97. He posted a 0.93 ERA (9th in state and 2nd on Burnsville) and 53 strikeouts (28th in state) over 34 innings, and was named Minnesota Mr. Baseball. He committed to play

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played by Student athlete, student-athletes at institutions of higher education. In the United States, college baseball is sanctioned mainly by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA); in Japan, ...

for the

Florida Gators The Florida Gators are the College sports in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Florida, located in Gainesville, Florida, Gainesville. The University of Florida, its athletic program, its alumni an ...

Professional career

Seattle Mariners

Carlson was selected in the second round, with the 55th overall selection, of the

2017 Major League Baseball draft The 2017 Major League Baseball draft began on June 12, 2017. The draft assigned amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The first 36 picks, including the first round and compensatory picks, were broadcast on MLB Network on June 12, while the remai ...

by the

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. The Mariners compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. The team joined the American ...

. He signed with the Mariners for $2 million. He made his professional debut with the

Arizona League Mariners The Arizona Complex League Mariners are a Rookie-level affiliate of the Seattle Mariners, competing in the Arizona Complex League of Minor League Baseball. The team plays its home games at Peoria Sports Complex in Peoria, Arizona. The team is comp ...

, pitching only three innings before being shut down due to minor elbow discomfort. Heading into the 2018 season, Carlson was named Seattle's third ranked prospect and the top pitching prospect in the organization, but had elbow discomfort return during the Mariners mini-camp in February and was shut down again. He was given a platelet-rich injection and eventually started rehabbing, but a setback in his rehab forced him to undergo

Tommy John surgery Ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction, sometimes referred to as Tommy John surgery is a surgical graft procedure where the ulnar collateral ligament in the medial elbow is replaced with either a tendon from elsewhere in the patient's body, ...

on July 2, causing him to miss the rest of 2018 and all of the 2019 season. Carlson returned healthy in 2020, but did not play a game after the minor league season was cancelled due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. For the 2021 season, he was assigned to the Single-A

Modesto Nuts The Modesto Nuts are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners. They are located in Modesto, California, and are named for the several types of nuts grown in the Central Valley. They ...

, starting 19 games with a 6–4 record, 4.77 ERA, and 112 strikeouts in 100 innings. In 2022, Carlson made 16 appearances (11 starts) for Modesto, recording a 4.61 ERA with 60 strikeouts across innings of work. He spent 2023 with the High-A

Everett AquaSox The Everett AquaSox are a Minor League Baseball team in Everett, Washington. The team is a member of the Northwest League and is the High-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners. The AquaSox play their home games at Funko Field, which has a seatin ...

, pitching in 39 games and logging a 5.25 ERA with 61 strikeouts and six saves. As a six-year minor league veteran, Carlson elected

free agency In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

on November 6.

Milwaukee Brewers

On November 30, 2023, Carlson signed a minor league contract with the

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. The Brewers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Di ...

. He pitched 44 games in relief for the Double-A

Biloxi Shuckers The Biloxi Shuckers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Southern League (1964–present), Southern League and the Double-A (baseball), Double-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Biloxi, Mississippi, and are named in ref ...

in 2024, going 4–2 with a 4.25 ERA and 51 strikeouts in innings. Carlson elected free agency following the season on November 4, 2024.

Los Angeles Dodgers

On December 13, 2024, Carlson signed a minor league contract with the

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Carlson, Sam 1998 births Living people Arizona League Mariners players Baseball pitchers Baseball players from Minnesota Everett AquaSox players Biloxi Shuckers players 21st-century American sportsmen Modesto Nuts players People from Savage, Minnesota Sportspeople from Scott County, Minnesota Oklahoma City Comets players