Baltimore Orioles select Michigan State pitcher Joseph Dzierwa in 2025 MLB Draft

The Baltimore Orioles have selected Michigan State Spartans left-handed pitcher Joseph Dzierwa in the 2025 MLB Draft. He has spent all three seasons of his college career pitching for Michigan State.

Dzierwa is a native of Haskins, Ohio, and he would play at Otsego High School. There, he was the 414th-ranked player overall and the 55th-ranked left-handed pitcher in his high school class, according to Perfect Game.

In all three seasons at Michigan State, Joseph Dzierwa has been important to the Spartans. However, in 2025, he thrived as a junior and put up some massive numbers on the mound. In this past season, he made 18 appearances, all of which were starts, and included four complete game shutouts. That came in 118.2 innings pitched. For the year, he finished with a 1.42 ERA, a 0.982 WHIP, 137 strikeouts, and just 22 walks. That made him one of the best pitchers in all of college baseball last season.

For his career, Dzierwa pitched in 43 games and 40 were starts. In that time, he’s thrown 254.2 innings and has a career ERA of 3.15 with 276 strikeouts to 65 walks. In 2024, he would also pitch in the Cape Cod League. There, he posted a 0.00 ERA in 11 innings pitched with 10 strikeouts.

Unsurprisingly, Joseph Dzierwa earned numerous honors during his college career. That included being named to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team in 2023. Then, in 2024, he earned Second Team All-Big Ten honors. That’s before he was named Big Ten Pitcher of the Year in 2025 and also garnered First Team All-B1G accolades.

MLB.com currently has Dzierwa ranked as its 74th-best prospect going into the MLB Draft. There, they praised him for his improved fastball.

“Added strength helped Dzierwa gain 2 mph with his fastball, which now sits at 90-93 mph and maxes out at 95, missing a lot of bats because of his command and the wide angle he creates with his 6-foot-8 frame and low three-quarters arm slot. His ability to sell his low-80s changeup with depth and locate it also helps his heater play better than its velocity. His mechanics don’t make it easy to stay on top of a spin option, however, and his upper-70s slider and mid-80s cutter are nothing more than get-me-over pitches,” MLB.com wrote. “Dzierwa’s size and arm angle help him hide the ball well and create deception without compromising his ability to throw strikes.”

With his selection in the 2025 MLB Draft, Joseph Dzierwa now has the opportunity to play professional baseball. If he can continue the run of success that he’s had at Michigan State and build on that, then there’s no telling just how far he can go in the sport.