Dylan Questad entered the spring as the top Wisconsin prep baseball player. The Waterford (Wis.) High School senior right-handed pitcher wasn’t fazed by the expectations and attention.
He was nearly unhittable and allowed just three runs all season, posting a 0.48 ERA with 89 strikeouts and 17 walks allowed in 43 2/3 innings. His performance helped propel Waterford to sectionals in the WIAA Tournament. He also earned Gatorade’s Wisconsin Player of the Year.
“It meant the world to me,” Questad said. “It has been one of my goals since I was a freshman or sophomore. I actually didn’t even realize the award was coming out so soon. I found out the day before that I was one of the finalists. Then I woke up and checked my email right away, and at 7 a.m. I found out. It was one of the goals I really wanted to achieve. Once I did it, I was really proud of myself.”
Questad’s performance this spring allowed him to enhance his prospect status. Scouts project the talented right-hander as a potential early-round pick in July’s MLB draft.
Wisconsin hasn’t had a prep pitcher selected in the first five rounds of the draft in nearly two decades. The Seattle Mariners drafted left-handed pitcher Tony Butler out of Oak Creek High School in the third round in 2006.
“At first, I was super nervous because my first game I had about 25-30 scouts there for my first game,” Questad said. “My heart was pumping out of my chest the whole time. After that, I settled down and realized they are there for me and knew that I didn’t need to be nervous. I tried not to think about it and used it as motivation to pitch better.”
Questad is a 6-foot-1, 205-pound right-handed pitcher who throws a four-seam fastball, slider, curveball, changeup and sinker from a clean, athletic and smooth delivery and high arm slot.
His above-average fastball is his best offering and features plenty of movement. It sits in the mid-90s, touches 97 mph with ride, and generates plenty of swings and misses. He also has quality control and command of his four-seamer.
Questad’s slider is his best secondary pitch and serves as an outpitch. He likes to throw his changeup to left-handed hitters, which features late fading action and tunnels off his fastball.
This spring, Questad showed growth with his secondary pitches and command. He tweaked his curveball, as it now has 12-to-6 break. He also worked on differentiating the velocity of his curveball and slider. His curveball now sits in the mid-70s and his slider touches the low-80s.
“I think having the bigger laces maybe helped me, and I just felt like I could create a lot more movement on my curveball than last summer,” Questad said.
Questad is a strong and athletic pitcher with a competitive mindset. He projects as a starting pitcher in the college and professional ranks.
“I have a lot more trust and confidence in my pitches,” Questad said. I’m becoming a pitcher that doesn’t just try to strike everyone out because sometimes your pitch count can get high. I’ve learned how to trust my defense and pickup tendencies on hitters. I’m way more adaptive than I was in the summer.”
Besides his status as a draft prospect, Questad is an Arkansas commit. Arkansas is one of the top programs in college baseball and has a track record of developing players for the pro ranks.
If he makes it to college, Questad will instantly jump into a well-regarded player development system that will prepare him to compete at a high level in the Southeastern Conference and eventually pro ball.
“It would be a really fun and exciting time because of how good our recruiting class is,” Questad said. “We have a really solid chance to make it to Omaha, if not win it. That is appealing to me. I also love the campus a lot. Time will tell, and whichever opportunity is better for me is the one I will decide.”
Read more in-depth stories on top 2023 MLB draft prospects at Baseball Prospect Journal.
Want to know more about Dylan Questad? Read a previous draft profile on Questad from earlier this year HERE.
Dan Zielinski III has covered the MLB draft for eight years. He has interviewed 433 of the top draft prospects in that period, including four No. 1 overall picks. Multiple publications, including Baseball America, USA Today, MLB.com, The Arizona Republic and The Dallas Morning News, have quoted his work, while he has appeared on radio stations as a “MLB draft expert.” Follow him on Twitter @DanZielinski3.
