Miami's MLB Draft Board: Right-Handed Pitcher Gage Ziehl
For junior, right-handed pitcher Gage Ziehl, it was always a dream and goal to play in the majors. Now he will get his chance to turn his dream into a reality in the upcoming MLB Draft on July 14-16.
Ziehl's strength has always been his cutter which looks like a slider that is thrown in the mid-80s. Standing at 6-0, and 220 pounds, he carries a lot of weight with his size but also generates a lot of power for his pitches with this frame. His four-seam fastball averages at 93 mph, Up to 95, and touched 97 during his freshman season.
He also has aa slider and changeup from a three-quarters arm slot and it is a repeatable delivery.
One of his best abilities is also his availability. He has been one of the most consistent players on the team's roster while improving his stats over the past two seasons as a quality starter. He has spent all three years of his career as a Hurricane which also helps in his development within a power-heavy conference in the ACC with baseball. He saw most of his action in his sophomore and junior year starting 15 and 16 games with an average ERA of 4.08.
Now where will Ziehl likely land in the MLB Draft?
Currently, the MLB prospect rankings have the right-handed pitcher ranked as the No. 88 prospect in the 2024 class. If going by the the order of the draft with his placement, he would likely be drafted in the third round by the San Diego Padres who could boost their bullpen after some of the struggles they have seen this season.
He likely, won't be thrown in instantly as he will need some time in the minors to develop some consistency with some of the bigger hitters in the next step up but don't be surprised if you see him making quality starts in the future in the Majors.
