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Iowa Baseball MLB Draft Preview

On3 imageby: Kyle Huesmann07/11/25HuesmannKyle
Cade Obermueller is expected to be drafted early in the 2025 MLB Draft. (Photo by Dennis Scheidt)
Cade Obermueller is expected to be drafted early in the 2025 MLB Draft. (Photo by Dennis Scheidt)

Welcome to the most stressful time of the year for college baseball coaches. MLB Draft Week. Across the country, college baseball coaches are sitting on the edge of their seats waiting to see what happens to their players and recruits in the draft.

For Rick Heller and the Iowa Hawkeyes, they will get to see Cade Obermueller go off the board on day one of the draft. As for day two of the draft, there will plenty of stress centered around the pitching staff and what it will look like come Tuesday morning after the draft has been completed. HawkeyeReport takes a look at each guy that could get drafted and predicts whether or not they will be on the roster next season.

MLB Draft Schedule

Sunday, July 13 – (Rounds 1-3) – 5:00pm CT – ESPN/MLB Network

Monday, July 14 – (Rounds 4-20) – 10:30am CT – MLB.com

Biggest Storyline for Iowa going into the draft

1. How much does day two of the draft change how the pitching staff looks going into the fall?

Monday will be a long day, not only for the draft, as they have switched from a three-day to a condensed two-day format, but for the Iowa coaching staff. It will be a pivotal day, with four Hawkeye pitchers, two possible returners and two incoming freshmen, very much on the board and in play. If they were to return, one or both of them, Aaron Savary and Anthony Watts would be in the starting rotation, while incoming freshmen Brody Irlbeck and Carter Wilcox would have a chance to provide immediate bullpen help. However it unfolds, the decisions surrounding these four arms will carry large implications for Iowa’s 2025 season.

LHP Cade Obermueller

ESPN Draft Top 250: #82 OVR / #11 LHP

MLB.com Top 250: #53 OVR / #7 LHP

Perfect Game Top 500: #73 OVR / #12 LHP

Projection: Second Round / Competitive Balance Round B / Third Round (44-105)

No one ever questioned the talent with Cade Obermueller, but coming into this past season, there were several questions that needed to be answered if he was going to become a day one pick in the draft. Could he be “the guy” in the Iowa starting rotation? Could he improve his strike rate, limit free bases and work deeper into starts? Yes, Yes, Yes and Yes.

Obermueller was a First Team All-Big Ten selection and a Third Team All-American honoree by Perfect Game. He made 15 starts, posting a 3.02 ERA over 83.1 innings, including 117 strikeouts to 32 walks and 62 hits allowed. Cade answered most of the questions that scouts had and that’s why he is going to be a mid-day one pick.

I won’t go as far as to say that Cade will be off the board before the third round gets underway (pick 75), but a lefty-hander with his stuff, he should be off the board by pick 90. MLB.com has him as the #53 prospect on their board, which would be in range to be picked higher than his dad, Wes, who went 58th overall to Royals in the 1999 Draft.

MLB.com Draft Scouting Report Analysis

“A Draft-eligible sophomore a year ago, Cade turned down the Rangers as a 19th-rounder. He has been a favorite of scouts dating back to his high school days and they’re happy to see him increase his velocity and his strike-throwing as a junior.

Obermueller works from a low arm slot that produces outstanding metrics on his fastball and slider. He sits at 91-94 mph and can reach 98 with his heater, showing the ability to create carry, run or sink from an unusually flat approach angle. He imparts huge horizontal break, as well as good depth, on a low-80s slider that eats up lefties and righties.

The biggest question about his ability to remain a starter is his lack of physicality at 6 feet and 170 pounds, though he’s helping his cause by cutting his walk rate nearly in half from his sophomore to junior year. He’ll get a chance to prove himself in the rotation in pro ball, though if he immediately headed to the bullpen he could surface in the Majors by the end of 2026.”

FINAL TAKE: Obermueller will be the third Hawkeye in the last four drafts to be selected in the top 100 picks.

LHP Brody Irlbeck

MLB.com Top 250: #199 OVR / #30 LHP

Perfect Game Rank (’25 class): #237 OVR / #25 LHP

The Hawkeyes went through this same roller coaster last year with Joey Oakie, hoping that they could get the high-level prospect on campus. Unfortunately, for Rick Heller and Co., Oakie was drafted in the third round and signed with the Guardians.

When Brody Irlbeck (Staley HS, MO) originally committed back in 2022, Perfect Game had him rated as the #33 overall player in the state of Missouri. Now, he is rated as the #7 player in Missouri, #25 left-handed pitcher in the ’25 recruiting class and was named Prep Baseball Missouri Player of the Year. He’s coming off of a senior season where he posted an 11-0 record for Staley High School, including a 0.27 ERA, a 0.55 WHIP and 104 strikeouts. At one point, he held opponents scoreless for 55.0 consecutive innings.

I don’t expect Irlbeck to be a day one pick, which really makes it tough to say how this one could play out. It will come down to a number of factors, including what Irlbeck and his family have landed on for an asking price, how many teams are deeply interested in him and what money those teams will have and are willing to spend on day two of the draft.

MLB.com Draft Scouting Report Analysis

“Missouri has a sneaky-deep group of high school pitching prospects this spring, though it’s unclear how many of them will get drafted early enough to turn pro. Irlbeck is the least physically imposing of those arms but offers the best combination of ability and signability. If he attends college, he should contribute immediately at Iowa as a freshman.

Irlbeck works at 90-92 mph and touches 94 with his fastball, which he can throw with carry and armside run, while boring it in on right-handers. He has advanced feel for a low-80s changeup with good depth that plays well in tandem with his heater. He can steal strikes with a slurvy mid-70s curveball and has begun to develop a tight slider in the low 80s.

Irlbeck pounds the zone with his entire repertoire and does a nice job of mixing his pitches. He’s just 6 feet tall but overcomes his lack of size with his twitchy athleticism. He repeats his athletic delivery consistently and creates deception with his low arm slot and flat approach angle. Scouts also love his competitiveness, which adds to his high-floor package.”

FINAL TAKE: While the risk isn’t as high as it was with Joey Oakie last season, Irlbeck was invited to the Draft Combine and has moved up draft boards. I think there’s a decent chance he makes it to Iowa, and he will likely have a high asking price, but it takes just one team, not all 30.

RHP Aaron Savary

MLB.com Top 250: Unranked

Perfect Game Top 500: #395 OVR / #135 RHP

Aaron Savary has had a pretty natural progression to his current position, going from 12 appearances as a freshman to 18 as a sophomore and then into the starting rotation as a junior with the Hawkeyes.

Coming into this past season, the hope for Savary was to have a breakout season in the starting rotation and that’s exactly how things played out. He made 15 starts, posting a 4.37 ERA over 80.1 innings, including 82 strikeouts to 33 walks and 67 hits allowed. He completed 6.0+ innings in six starts and earned First Team All-Big Ten honors.

It’s always interesting to see what happens with right-handed pitchers that don’t go on day one of the draft. Last season, 211 right-handers were drafted in the final 15 rounds of the draft, so getting drafted will not be a question for Aaron. Ultimately, it will come down what Savary is looking for. Is he ready to close the book on college and possibly take a lower signing bonus to start his pro career or is his number a bit higher with the possibility of returning to Iowa in mind? A source has indicated to HawkeyeReport that the reality is probably the former rather than the latter.

FINAL TAKE: I’ve been told the expectation is for Savary to be drafted and sign. It will be interesting to see how teams evaluate them because there is always a plethora of right-handed pitching talent available. Still, I don’t expect Aaron to be back at Iowa next season barring something unexpected.

RHP Anthony Watts

MLB.com Top 250: Unranked

Some of the twists and turns of the Hawkeyes offseason have included Anthony Watts and his intentions for next year—they’re not done yet. The initial thought was that Watts, who has been a bullpen arm for Iowa the past two seasons, could possibly the ace of the staff next season. Instead, Anthony announced his intentions to enter the transfer portal soon after the season, but he has since withdrawn his name. Now, the MLB Draft is up next.

In two seasons at Iowa, Watts has appeared in 45 games, with three starts, posting a 3.90 ERA over 85.1 innings, including 103 strikeouts to 52 walks and 59 hits allowed. He’s had moments where he has looked unhittable, but he’s had moments where he has struggled. Although scouts haven’t seen Anthony at his best for extended stretches during his college career, his slider is something that will catch the attention of organizations.

Another offseason with pitching coach Sean Kenny could be enough for Watts to have a breakout campaign in 2026. Opponents have struggled to hit him at Iowa, averaging just 0.69 hits per inning, but improving on his 59.2% strike rate is the next step. That’s something he could do at Iowa to boost his draft stock for next year, but an organization that wants him will tell him he can attempt to make those same changes at the pro level.

FINAL TAKE: There’s no doubt that the talent is there for Watts, but I think he’d benefit from another year Iowa working with pitching coach Sean Kenny. I think the odds Anthony returns are higher than they are for Savary, but if he’s ready to start his pro career, it might not take a ton to sign him.

LHP Carter Wilcox

MLB.com Top 250: Unranked

Perfect Game Top 500: #323 OVR / #51 LHP

Perfect Game Rank (’25 class): #223 OVR / #21 LHP

Will the draft conclude with Iowa bringing two highly touted left-handed arms to campus? One? None? We’ve already taken a look at Brody Irlbeck, but LHP Carter Wilcox (Cherokee Trail HS, CO) is the other incoming freshmen drawing draft consideration.

Much like Irlbeck, Wilcox has skyrocketed up the ’25 class rankings. At the time of his commitment back in August of 2023, he was rated as the #119 LHP in the country but is almost 100 spots higher now. As a senior at Cherokee Trail, Wilcox posted a 1.85 ERA over 56.2 innings, including an incredible 116 strikeouts to 45 free bases and just 26 hits allowed.

Perfect Game Draft Scouting Report Analysis

“Wilcox may not be a top-tier prospect who’s going in the Top 50 this summer, but he’s certainly going to draw pro-interest. He’s currently committed to the University of Iowa and would be a great addition to their pitching staff, likely being an immediate impact player on their staff. But there will be some pro interest here, and he’s looking like he could be a Top 150 talent if his spring breakout continues as it has. A mid-90s on the fastball with the elite slider and feel for a changeup is going to get the looks; the question is how much helium will he have to move him up boards this spring.”

FINAL TAKE: Although Wilcox is rated higher than Irlbeck in the Perfect Game rankings, he hasn’t gotten the same traction and doesn’t rank in the MLB.com Top 250 prospects. Given that Carter isn’t ranked as a “top” high school prospect, teams likely aren’t going to waste a pick if they don’t think they can sign him. It’s possible he isn’t drafted at all, but if he goes off the board it could very well mean the team that drafts him thinks he will sign.

MIF Gable Mitchell

MLB.com Top 250: Unranked

Perfect Game Top 500: #415 OVR

The only position player on the roster expected to get draft consideration, infielder Gable Mitchell has garnered enough interest that it’s worth keeping an eye on.

Mitchell really took off the second half of his sophomore season and was the most consistent hitter in the Hawkeyes lineup as a junior this past season. He started all 56 games, slashing .329/.421/.476, with 74 hits, 18 double, five home runs and 44 RBI’s. In the analytics age of baseball, the power numbers might not jump off the page for Gable, but he put the ball in play in 91.6% of his at-bats and struck out in just 7.2% of his plate appearances. That, along with his ability to play both infield positions, his character and his family background is why he’s drawing interest from some organizations.

FINAL TAKE: A source has told HawkeyeReport that there is mild concern and rumblings around Gable Mitchell, but they still expect him to be back in Iowa City next season. That’s my projection as well.

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