Cade Obermueller

Analysis
Obermueller's walk rate was over 15 percent his first two years at Iowa, but he he had a breakout junior year, logging a 3.02 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 23.9 K-BB% in 83.1 innings across 15 starts for the Hawkeyes. Not only did his strike throwing improve this spring (15.2 BB% in 2024, 9.0 BB% in 2025), but his fastball ticked up and now sits 91-94 mph while touching 98 mph with excellent metrics. His low-80s slider is arguably his best pitch, and Obermueller would have a clear future in relief based on those two pitches if his control regresses or his 6-foot, 170-pound frame doesn't hold up under a starter's workload. The slight southpaw will also need to sharpen up his third-pitch changeup to stick in the rotation.