Cade Obermueller drafted by Philadelphia Phillies in second round Sunday night

CEDAR RAPIDS - The Philadelphia Hawkeyes.

You’ve got Keaton Anthony and Raider Tello. You’ve got Marcus Morgan.

Now you’ve got Cade Obermueller.

The University of Iowa pitcher, and Iowa City High graduate, was selected Sunday night by the Philadelphia Phillies in the second round of the 2025 Major League Baseball Draft. The junior left-hander was the 63rd-overall pick of the draft, which concluded Monday.

The money value of his pick, as assigned by MLB, is $1,416,600, though teams can negotiate above or below that number. Obermueller has leverage in another college season of eligibility, though there is no question he will turn professional.

He was a 19th-round draft pick of the Texas Rangers in last year’s 2024 MLB draft, though decided to return to Iowa. It seems it was a correct decision.

Anthony, by the way, recently was taken off the injured list for Triple-A Lehigh Valley. He is having a phenomenal season, hitting over .300 for LV and Double-A Reading.

Tello has played a starting infield role this season for low-A Clearwater, while Morgan, the Iowa City West graduate, is on the 60-day injured list at Clearwater.

Obermueller made 15 starts this season for Iowa, accumulating a 5-3 record and 3.02 earned run average. He allowed just 62 hits in 83 1/3 innings, striking out 117.

“If you look at Cade Obermueller, his strikeout rate has steadily increased,” Phillies assistant general manager of amateur scouting Brian Barber said on the team’s website. “He proved he could throw strikes, and do it as a starter.”

Obermueller’s father, Wes, who was an assistant coach this season at Iowa, pitched parts of five seasons in the big leagues. The Vinton-Shellsburg grad was taken by the Kansas City Royals in the second round of the 1999 MLB Draft out of Iowa.

“Obermueller works from a low arm slot that produces outstanding metrics on his fastball and slider,” was the scouting report on Cade Obermueller from www.mlb.com. “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.

“Obermueller has yet to show much feel for a sinking mid-80s changeup that he barely uses, though he'll flash a solid one on occasion. 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.”

Comments: (319)-398-8258, jeff.johnson@thegazette.com