Erik Puodziunas is giving Michigan real innings, with strikeout flashes and starter upside
Puodziunas, a 6-foot-3 right-hander and redshirt freshman at Michigan in the 2026 season, has shown useful swing-and-miss stuff in short and extended outings, including 5 strikeouts in 3 relief innings against Oakland and 2 runs of controlled run prevention in a 5.1-inning win at Rutgers. The appeal is the frame, competitiveness, and the ability to attack in multiple roles; the caution is that his season lines also show some traffic and contact at times. He looks like a pitcher who can keep getting better if your staff wants a project with real Big Ten starter traits.
