Cade Obermueller Stats & Scouting Report

Full name Cade Mitchell Obermueller
Born 07/28/2003 in Iowa City, IA
Profile Ht.: 5'11" / Wt.: 150 / Bats: L / Throws: L
School Iowa
Drafted in the 2nd round (63rd overall) by the Philadelphia Phillies in 2025 (signed for $1,197,500).

View Draft Report

School: Iowa Drafted/Committed: Rangers ’24 (19)
Age At Draft: 22.0

BA Grade: 40/High

Obermueller ranked as a top-200 prospect in the 2024 class as a draft-eligible sophomore. He was selected in the 19th round by the Rangers, but opted to return to Iowa. That decision paid off with the best season of his career. The slight-framed 6-foot, 170-pound lefthander posted a 3.02 ERA with 117 strikeouts and 32 walks over 83.1 innings, showcasing improved stuff and sharper command. Working from a low slot, Obermueller throws a low-90s sinker that helped him generate a 52.1% career ground ball rate. A velocity bump this spring saw him touch 97 mph, leading to a career-best 32.9% strikeout rate and a career-low 9% walk rate. His primary secondary pitch is a sweeping low-80s slider that plays well with his arm angle, and he’ll rarely mix in a firm changeup in the mid-80s. While his pitch mix is limited and control can falter at times, Obermueller’s improved strike-throwing and ability to hold velocity deeper into outings have given evaluators reason to revisit his long-term role. He still carries reliever risk due to his size, delivery and pitch repertoire, but his 2025 performance could place him inside the first 10 rounds and give teams more confidence he is a starter in pro ball.

Scouting Grades: Fastball: 50 | Slider: 60 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 45.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

BA Grade/Risk: 50/High

Adjusted Grade: 35

Track Record: The Rangers drafted Obermueller in the 19th round in 2024, but he chose to return to Iowa for another chance to improve his draft stock. He responded by cutting his walk rate nearly in half while raising his strikeout rate a few ticks as well. The Phillies pounced on him in the second round in 2025 and signed him for $1,197,500. After tossing a career-high 83.1 innings, Obermueller was shut down after signing.

Scouting Report: The Phillies liked what they’d seen from Obermueller in 2024, when he was teammates with righthander Marcus Morgan, whom the Phillies drafted in the ninth round that summer. They became even more interested in Obermueller when he started throwing strikes at a much higher clip thanks to a much more controlled delivery than he had shown in years past. Couple those gains with a delivery that features a low release height, excellent extension and a low-90s sinker that clipped 97 mph in his draft year, and the upside was enough to make them pull the trigger in the second round. Obermueller backs his fastball with a sweeper that featured 20 inches of break. He also has a firm, seldom-used changeup that scouts believe could be average if he throws it more often. The Phillies also might work with Obermueller to add a shorter breaking ball to his mix to give him another offspeed pitch he can throw in the zone to set up his sweeper to finish hitters.

The Future: Obermueller’s smaller frame and currently limited pitch mix might lead him down a reliever’s path. For now, the Phillies will bet that the gains he showed in his draft year will be sticky enough to give him a chance to stick as a back-end starter in a few years. If not, his sinker and slider should be an effective combination in the late innings.

Scouting Grades Fastball: 50 | Slider: 60 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 45.

Draft Prospects

School: Iowa Drafted/Committed: Rangers ’24 (19)
Age At Draft: 22.0

BA Grade: 40/High

Obermueller ranked as a top-200 prospect in the 2024 class as a draft-eligible sophomore. He was selected in the 19th round by the Rangers, but opted to return to Iowa. That decision paid off with the best season of his career. The slight-framed 6-foot, 170-pound lefthander posted a 3.02 ERA with 117 strikeouts and 32 walks over 83.1 innings, showcasing improved stuff and sharper command. Working from a low slot, Obermueller throws a low-90s sinker that helped him generate a 52.1% career ground ball rate. A velocity bump this spring saw him touch 97 mph, leading to a career-best 32.9% strikeout rate and a career-low 9% walk rate. His primary secondary pitch is a sweeping low-80s slider that plays well with his arm angle, and he’ll rarely mix in a firm changeup in the mid-80s. While his pitch mix is limited and control can falter at times, Obermueller’s improved strike-throwing and ability to hold velocity deeper into outings have given evaluators reason to revisit his long-term role. He still carries reliever risk due to his size, delivery and pitch repertoire, but his 2025 performance could place him inside the first 10 rounds and give teams more confidence he is a starter in pro ball.

Scouting Grades: Fastball: 50 | Slider: 60 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 45.
School: Iowa Commit/Drafted: Never Drafted
Age At Draft: 21
BA Grade: 40/High
Tools: Fastball: 45. Slider: 55. Changeup: 50. Control: 40.

Obermueller was part of one of the most talented rotations in the country in 2024 at Iowa, alongside righthanders Brody Brecht and Marcus Morgan. After pitching out of the bullpen for Iowa in 2023 and pitching as a reliever in the Cape Cod League, he moved into a starting role and posted a 3.92 ERA over 59.2 innings and 13 starts with a 27.1% strikeout rate and 15.2% walk rate. A small and skinny lefthander with a 5-foot-11, 160-pound frame and sidearm slot, Obermueller primarily works off a two-pitch fastball/slider combo. He sits in the low 90s and gets up to 95 with a fastball that has sinking shape and has traditionally been a heavy groundball offering for him—though his groundball rate fell significantly from 2023 to 2024—and pairs the fastball with a 78-82 mph sweeping slider. Because of Obermueller’s low slot the slider is effective in left-on-left matchups where it generated a 45% miss rate this spring, though it’s less of a swing-and-miss offering against righthanders. Against righties, Obermueller’s low-80s changeup will become a much more critical piece of his arsenal, though he threw the pitch only 10% of the time and needs to gain more feel for it. Obermueller’s below-average control might ultimately push him back to the bullpen in pro ball.
School: City HS, Iowa City, Iowa Committed/Drafted: Iowa
Age At Draft: 19
The 5-foot-11, 160-pound lefty has impressed this spring with a solid two-pitch mix and feel for the strike zone. With an athletic delivery and a quick arm releasing from a low three-quarter slot, Obermueller throws an 89-91 mph fastball that touches 93 with movement that makes the pitch hard to square up. He complements his fastball with a sweeping 78-81 mph slider that wreaks havoc on both lefthanded and righthanded hitters. Obermueller has made some adjustments to his pitching mechanics that have allowed him to add velocity as well as be more consistent in the zone. Once utilizing a crossfire delivery with his lower half, he now lines himself up, unlocking his hips and allowing himself to achieve full extension out in front. Midwest scouts are impressed with his command of the zone and mound maturity that gives the belief that he is ready to begin his pro career. Obermueller is the son of former big league pitcher Wes Obermueller, who had a five-year MLB career and was a second-round pick.