Phillies Top 30 Prospects No. 9: Cade Obermueller, Leading Lefty

This is the twenty-second in a series of stories breaking down the Philadelphia Phillies’ Top 30 prospects heading into 2026.

Selected from the Iowa Hawkeyes in the second round last season, Cade Obermueller is a six foot tall, 170 pound left-hander who struck out 117 batters in 83.1 innings as a junior, posting a career-best 3.02 ERA. Obermueller managed the best command of his career, cutting his walks from 6.23 per nine innings to 3.46.

His father, Wes, spent parts of five seasons in MLB and also pitched overseas in Japan and Korea, later serving as the Hawkeyes’ Director of Player Development. Having grown up around the game gives Obermueller the kind of experience most prospects can only dream of. He’s quite lean for a pitcher but can whip his fastball as high as 98 miles per hour, typically sitting in the low 90s.

Obermeuller can attack batters on both sides of the plate with his 60-grade slider, which is a major advantage for a left-hander whose offerings will break in on the majority of the batters he faces. The Hawkeyes built him into a dependable starter as his college career went on, but he could stand to add some bulk. As such, projectable traits are the talking point for Obermeuller. If he can develop his changeup into a reliable third pitch — or even add another offering to the mix — Obermueller’s stock should surge as he begins his professional career.

He didn’t pitch for the Phillies last summer, so watch how and when they deploy him as he adjusts to the rigors of professional baseball. The starting upside exists, but it’ll take some coaxing.