Gage Ziehl is no stranger to high expectations. The right-handed pitcher was a highly-regarded prospect out of high school and selected by the Chicago Cubs in the 11th round of the 2021 MLB draft.
Ziehl elected to go to Miami, where he honed his skills on the mound and became a well-regarded draft prospect. Scouts project him as a likely early-round pick in July’s draft.
“You take a chance and bet on yourself to go to college and develop,” Ziehl said. “I think I’ve done that. I can’t thank the coaches and the resources I’ve had here at Miami. I’ve had an unbelievable experience at Miami, and I wouldn’t change it for anything.”
Ziehl is a 6-foot, 215-pound right-handed pitcher who throws a four-seam fastball, slider and changeup from a three-quarters arm slot and repeatable delivery.
Ziehl’s fastball is in the low 90s, touching 95 mph, and features some late arm-side run. His slider is his best pitch. It’s an above-average offering that he is confident throwing in any count and to any spot inside or outside of the strike zone. His slider serves as a quality strikeout pitch. Ziehl’s changeup is his third pitch and serves more as a pitch to generate a strike early in the count or a weak ground ball.
Ziehl boasts tons of potential on the mound, which intrigues scouts leading up to the draft. He has a quality pitch mix with room to get even better while showing a notable ability to attack the strike zone.
“I don’t care who is in the box or who I’m facing. I’m going to go at you because I don’t want to waste pitches and want to go deep into games,” Ziehl said. “I just love to compete.”
Scouts are split on Ziehl’s long-term role on a pitching staff. He will start his professional career as a starter, but he needs to develop a quality and effective third pitch to excel as a starter at the next level.
Ziehl has tinkered with a sinker but has yet to generate consistency and confidence in the pitch. He also threw a curveball in high school and has considered incorporating the breaking pitch back into his arsenal.
“I’d like to see more development in my pitches and adding another pitch,” Ziehl said. “What I have right now is a great start for being a starter at the next level, but I’d like to see the addition of another one or two pitches to give hitters more to think about.”
Ziehl grew as a starter this spring, posting a 3.87 with 89 strikeouts and 28 walks allowed in 100 innings. He finished his three years at Miami with a 4.07 ERA, 241 strikeouts and 65 walks allowed in 227 2/3 innings.
Ziehl raves about his development at Miami, where he transformed from a thrower to a mature pitcher.
“My overall experience has been amazing at Miami,” Ziehl said. “Playing at a historic program like Miami is really like no other. We have alumni coming in and out who have been in the MLB and played professional baseball. It’s awesome seeing people come back. I’m definitely going to do the same because this school means a lot to me.”
Read more in-depth stories on top 2024 MLB draft prospects at Baseball Prospect Journal.
Dan Zielinski III has covered the MLB draft for nine years. He has interviewed 518 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.
