Iowa Pitcher Cade Obermueller Picked in Second Round of MLB Draft

Cade Obermueller got the call to join the professional ranks on Sunday.

Obermueller, a junior for the Hawkeyes in 2025, was selected by the Philadelphia Phillies in the second round — pick No. 63 overall — in the 2025 MLB Draft.

Heading into the draft, MLB.com ranked Obermueller as the No. 53 prospect in the class. His selection at pick No. 63 is the fifth-highest selection in Iowa baseball history. 

Only one Hawkeye has ever been selected in the first round in draft history, and that was Cal Eldred (No. 17 overall in 1989). Obermueller is the third Iowa player selected in the first two rounds of the draft since 2022. The San Diego Padres drafted pitcher Adam Mazur in the second round (No. 53), and in 2024, the Colorado Rockies picked pitcher Brody Brecht at No. 38 overall.

Obermueller logged a 3.02 ERA in 83.1 innings in 2025, registering 117 strikeouts. His numbers significantly improved from 2024, when he finished with a 3.92 ERA.

The pitcher helped lead the Hawkeyes to a winning record in 2025, as they finished the season 33-22-1. Still, the NCAA Tournament selection committee didn’t see that as good enough to qualify for the tourney. The Hawkeyes won just two of their last 13 games.

Obermueller is an Iowa City native. He was the No. 1 prospect from Iowa in the Class of 2022, per Perfect Game.

This wasn’t Obermueller’s first time being drafted, as the Texas Rangers picked him with a 19th-round selection in 2024. Obermueller, though, chose to put his professional dreams on hold to continue pitching for the Hawkeyes.

Obermueller joins a Phillies organization that has been successful in recent memory.

Philadelphia has reached the postseason in each of the last three seasons, and the Phillies won the National League pennant in 2022. The Phillies’ last World Series title — one of two in franchise history — came in 2008, when they beat the Tampa Bay Rays in five games.