Undrafted out of high school despite plenty of interest, Max Carlson honored his commitment to the University of North Carolina, and established himself as a solid starter at the collegiate level, averaging exactly one strikeout per inning over 76 frames in his junior season of 2023. He also was used in relief on occasion, picking up his first NCAA save this past season as well.
[ninja_tables id=”21493″]FSS Event History: A Minnesota native, Carlson first pitched at an FSS event as a member of the Blizzard at the inaugural 2017 National Tournaments, as well as the 2018 Music City event before ultimately earning an invite to International Week later that year. He threw two innings in Game 3 at Camelback Ranch for the National Team, allowing just one hit along the way.
Current Ranking in Joe Doyle’s FSS Plus Top 600: 489
Joe Doyle on Carlson:
Carlson, the younger brother of Mariners 2017 2nd round pick Sam Carlson, has been a stalwart for the Tar Heels, posting strong strikeout totals and healthy inning loads over the last two seasons. Carlson can rush it up to 95, but sits 90-93 with some riding action at the top of the zone. That said, fastball command has been streaky and will need to be a development focus should he hope to start at the next level. Carlson throws a firm slider, up to 86, sitting 81-84 with good depth. There’s also a fringier 12-6 curveball in there. Carlson moves well on the bump and repeats early in games, so there is backend rotation upside here.
