With the MLB Draft coming up in a couple of days, that means it is time to take a look at what Iowa players will potentially hear their name called. The Hawkeyes could see three players get drafted in the first ten rounds, while Coach Rick Heller and the coaching staff will also be focused on Iowa City High senior Cade Obermueller, as his name has blown up over the last couple months.

MLB Draft Schedule

Sunday – 6:00pm on ESPN/MLB Network – Rounds 1-2

Monday – 1:00pm on MLB.com – Rounds 3-10

Tuesday – 1:00pm on MLB.com – Rounds 11-20

RHP Adam Mazur – Big Ten Pitcher of the Year

ProspectLive.com Scouting Report - #16 RHP and #53 overall prospect

“Mazur has a 4-seam fastball sitting 92-96, up to 97. His slider and changeup are his best secondaries with the former being a mid-80s sweeper with good depth and strong command. The latter being a mid-80s off-speed tumbler with some arm-side fade and deception. Mazur mixes in a CB in the mid-70s. The command in the profile has really ticked up this season, complimenting what scouts call a "lightning quick arm"… He's still adding good weight too, so there may be more in the tank. We're talking about a guy who could end up throwing triple digits with a banger breaking ball.”

After Adam Mazur put together an impressive summer in the 2021 Cape Cod League season, Hawkeye fans figured that he could be a one-year pickup out of South Dakota State. Adam came out and was impressive winning the Big Ten Pitcher of the Year award, while racking up nine outings of 6.0+ innings pitched. In 93.2 innings of work, Mazur punched out 98 batters, which is good for 9.4 K/9. He gave up 30 walks and 60 hits for an impressive 0.96 season WHIP.

During the season, there was buzz around Mazur’s name potentially being called in the late first round, including a Keith Law mock draft for The Athletic that had Mazur going to the Brewers at #27. That talk has faded a little bit since then and MLB.com rates Adam as the #59 best prospect in the draft, while ProspectLive.com has him rated at #53. Both of those slot in during the second round of the draft.

Once you factor in Competitive Balance Round B and Free Agent Compensation Picks, the second round spans from pick 40, all the way to pick 80. That is where I expect Adam to hear his named called, however, do not rule out hearing his name called between pick 33-39 in Competitive Balance Round A. Signing bonuses from picks 33-80 range from $806.8k to $2.31 million.

Projection: Middle Second Round

LHP Cade Obermueller – Iowa Baseball Commit – Iowa City High

ProspectLive.com Scouting Report - #15 LHP and #76 overall prospect

“Obermueller is smaller in stature, but his athleticism on the bump is incredible. The ease of which he operates has scouts awfully interested. There are definitive starter traits here with a buttery delivery and the ability to throw three pitches for strikes. The fastball sits in the low 90s, though he's been able to work a bit higher than that in indoor showcases. The slider is a haymaker, routinely registering spin rates north of 3000, even topping 3200 on its best nights.”

Last year, Rick Heller and the Iowa coaching staff had to sweat it out during the draft, as Brody Brecht was a potential top 3-5 round pick. Ultimately, Brecht decided to come to Iowa City to play baseball and football for the Hawkeyes. This year, it is Cade Obermueller who has come flying into the picture as a potential pick in the early rounds of the draft.

11 months ago, when Cade committed to the Hawkeyes, Perfect Game rated him as the #14 overall player in the state of Iowa for the class of 2022 and the #231 OF prospect in the country. Fast forward to now and Cade has MLB scouts showing up with radar guns and notebooks to take notes on the next big pitching prospect out of Iowa. Perfect Game has updated their rankings and he sits as the #2 player in the state and the #14 LHP prospect in the entire country.

The 6’0 152-pound senior at Iowa City High has seen his fastball velocity jump from high 80s to as high as 93. He pairs that with a slider with a spin rate in the low 3000s, as well as a change-up. With that, he has put together a spectacular season for the Little Hawks. Obermueller has posted a 1.20 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, .105 BAA and a 6-1 record, which goes with an impressive 98 strikeouts in 46.2 innings of work. That is good for nearly 19 strikeouts per nine innings.

Of course, Cade has a certain draft position and dollar amount in mind when it comes to signing and MLB contract or coming to Iowa City for a couple of seasons, but that is something that is kept close to the vest around draft time. He did mention to Jeff Johnson of the CR Gazette that he will let the draft play out, but he feels like going to Iowa is his “best bet” so he can continue to add weight and get stronger.

As the #76 overall prospect, that would line him up for the #70-90 area in the draft, which is the tail end of the second round or the beginning of the third round. The signing bonuses there range from $690,000 to $952,000.

Projection: Complex Situation, but it feels like he will be a Hawkeye.

1B Peyton Williams – First Team All-Big Ten

ProspectLive.com Scouting Report - #7 1B and #143 overall prospect

“When it comes to bat speed, there may not be any one player in the entire country with as much of it as Peyton Williams. The exit velocities produced by this Hawkeye can be jaw-dropping. Williams is a run-producer with middle of the order thump, and it's especially impressive considering it is to all fields. Williams is yet to showcase a ton of over-the-fence power, instead lashing liners all over the diamond.”

After struggling through some injuries during his redshirt freshman season in 2021, Peyton Williams rebounded to have a big 2022 season for the Hawkeyes. He was named to the First Team All-Big Ten team, as well as the ABCA Second Team All-Midwest Region team. Williams batted .335 with a .464 on-base percentage, including 70 hits, 17 doubles and 13 home runs. He had a team high 51 walks/hbp, while he also led the team in runs with 55.

Williams is able to consistently pound the ball around the field and instead of going for home runs, he just tries to hit line drives. Most of his home runs are scorching line drives. Teams love to shift Peyton as a pull hitter, but he has the ability to drive the ball to left center field.

As the #143 overall prospect by ProspectLive, that slots Williams in during the early part of the fifth round, however MLB.com does not have him as a top 250 prospect. That would push him into the eighth round or later. Signing bonuses for the fifth round are in the $300-400k range, while the eighth round and later is under $200k.

Projection: Rounds 5-10

OF/1B Keaton Anthony – Big Ten Freshman of the Year – Second Team All-Big Ten

The Iowa coaching staff was high on Anthony when he came to Iowa City as a freshman from Hoschton, GA, but a hamstring injury sidelined him for the entire season. He came into this past season as a virtual unknown to Hawkeye fans and the rest of the Big Ten, but had a huge year. Keaton went on to win Big Ten Freshman of the Year and was named to the D1 Baseball First Team Freshman All American Team, as well as Second Team All-Big Ten. He was also a six-time Big Ten Freshman of the Week honoree.

Anthony batted .361 with a .455 on-base percentage, including a team leading 73 hits, 22 doubles, 14 home runs and 55 RBIs. He racked up 23 games with multiple hits and had multiple RBIs in 13 games. After a season like that, Keaton has himself in great position to be picked as a draft eligible sophomore.

Recently, Keaton joined the T’d Up podcast with Connor and Patrick McCaffery to discuss a number of topics, including the MLB Draft process. He mentioned that he went and worked out for the Cubs at their A facility in South Bend. Meanwhile, he mentioned a number of teams texting and calling him. He met in-person with scouts from the Mets, Red Sox and A’s. There has been a lot of interest in Keaton since the conclusion of the season and it feels like he is destined to get drafted and sign with a team.

Projection: Rounds 7-11

RHP Dylan Nedved

Dylan Nedved did just about everything during his time with the Hawkeyes. Infield, outfield, closer, long relief and starting pitcher. The later three are the reason why he may have a shot at the professional level.

This past season for Iowa, Nedved appeared in 19 games on the mound, including six starts and three saves. He posted a 3.47 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 75 strikeouts in 72.2 innings. He threw anywhere from eight pitches against Rutgers to 103 against Michigan. He threw 57 pitches or less in nine outings and 66+ pitches in the other ten outings.

Nedved’s versatility on the mound makes him an intriguing draft prospect, but the fact that he has used up his college eligibility puts him at the mercy of MLB teams. Last season, we saw Ben Norman go undrafted due to his age and the fact that he used up his eligibility. I think Nedved is worth a late round pick, but it is very possible that teams will do what they did with Norman last year.

Projection: Late Rounds or Undrafted Signing

INF Brendan Sher, 2B Izaya Fullard, RHP Connor Schultz and RHP Duncan Davitt are all draft eligible as well, but I do not expect them to get drafted. It is possible that a team could go after one of them as an undrafted free agent.