Exclusive: Mariners take Duke Reliever Charlie Beilenson in 5th round
The Seattle Mariners drafted Duke right-handed reliever Charlie Beilenson in round 5 of the MLB Draft with pick 154 at Fort Worth, Texas, on July 15.
The Mariners are getting a hard-working kid with tremendous upside. Beilenson wants to take the ball every day and will pitch until his arm falls off. He is so antsy to get into the game that he sometimes paces around the dugout when he isn’t pitching.
The redshirt senior made all his appearances count and had a career season in 2024 with Duke. Belinson had career-highs in innings (62.2), strikeouts (92), saves (12), and the lowest ERA and WHIP at 2.01 and 0.95, respectively.
Beilenson spoke to World Baseball Network before the MLB Draft.
‘”Getting more time to develop my pitches to fit the role I was going to play really helped,” Beilenson said. “Last fall, I was more in a fight to just get playing time, so I wasn’t focused as much on execution as much. I was just trying to show off my stuff.”
Beilenson took advantage of his defined role as Duke’s closer and would even throw more than an inning on several occasions. He tied Duke’s record with his 12 saves and was a finalist for the stopper of the year, which is awarded to the best reliever in college baseball. Beilenson was also named First-Team All-ACC during the regular season and for the ACC Tournament.
Beilenson was lights out in his last two ACC Tournament appearances, pitching 2.1 scoreless innings against Miami in the semi-finals and one scoreless innings in the ACC finals against Florida State. He struck out nine batters in 6.1 innings in the ACC tournament.
Beilenson vividly remembers the dog pile in the ACC Tournament at Charlotte in Truist Park and has pictures of him and Duke second baseman Zac Morris jumping into each other at the bottom of the pile. Despite this great moment, Beilenson has another game that stands out even more.
“Closing out Wake in game three, who was No.1 at the time, was absolutely electric. Coach Pollard had just been tossed, and emotions were running high. Might be the highlight of my career,” Beilenson said.
Beilenson, 24, is 6-foot 215 pounds, and his quirky delivery makes it hard for batters to pick up the ball. His Fastball is 92-95 mph, and his slider is wipeout at around 83 mph. He uses his cutter and changeup as his third and fourth pitches. In 2023, he set Duke’s single-season record with 39 appearances. Beilenson lowered his ERA by 1.85 and walk rate by 0.6 from 2023 to 2024.
“This year, I was able to fine-tune everything and build off of advancements from last year,” Beilenson told World Baseball Network. “Additionally, I just had more confidence and was more comfortable competing at such a high level. I love the stopper role and really wanted to own it.”
Beilenson credits his manager, Chirs Pollard, and pitching coach, Brady Kirkpatrick, for instilling that belief in him.
“Pollard gave me the opportunity and instilled confidence in me every step of the way. This past year, when I had a couple of down moments, he made sure to let me and the rest of the team know that nothing was changing and that he has every bit of confidence in me, and sometimes that’s all you need to hear”, Beilenson told World Baseball Network. “He’s one of the best leaders I’ve ever met.”
“Kirkpatrick helped a lot with pitch shape and what to focus on for executing pitches. He also gave me my new grip for the slider and taught me the cutter,” Beilenson said. “He helped me know what metrics to focus on for each pitch, and most of all, he is an elite pitch caller.”
Beilenson is big on execution and reflected that it was the key to his transformation as a pitcher this past season.
“When I define execution, it’s just the ball doing what I want it to do and going where I want it to go,” Beilenson said.
Beilenson also didn’t break it down as control but as command, which isn’t always throwing a strike.
“For example, throwing an 0-1 changeup below the knees to draw swing and miss and then doing it again but throwing it in the dirt and locating the ball with the right movement basically,” Beilenson said.
The Mariners could get a steal with Charlie Beilenson in the fifth round and a reliable MLB reliever for years to come.
Photo Credit: Duke Blue Devils RHP Charlie Beilenson (47) throws a pitch during a college baseball game between the Duke Blue Devils and the Boston College Eagles. (Photo by Erica Denhoff/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
