Zane Mills Stats & Scouting Report

IP	40.1
ERA	3.35
WHIP	1.41
BB/9	4.24
SO/9	10.49

Full name Zane Mills
Born 07/04/2000 in Portland, OR
Profile Ht.: 6'4" / Wt.: 220 / Bats: R / Throws: R
School Washington State
Drafted in the 4th round (120th overall) by the St. Louis Cardinals in 2021 (signed for $375,000).

View Draft Report

Undrafted out of high school from Lincoln High in Portland, Mills struggled in his first season at Washington State in 2019, posting a 2-4, 5.25 mark with 40 strikeouts and 21 walks in 36 innings, but took a step forward with an impressive summer in the West Coast League. He carried that momentum into the 2020 season and went 3-0, 0.58 in seven appearances (six starts) in the Northwoods League that summer. This season, Mills pitched well at times, with a 5-5, 4.15 mark, 83 strikeouts and 22 walks in 80.1 innings despite not having a dominant arsenal. At 6-foot-4, 215 pounds, Mills has good size on the mound and is lauded for his pitchability and polish. His three-pitch mix is highlighted by a fastball that sits 88-92 mph and a slider, and his command of both pitches is plus. He also mixes in a changeup, with the ability to throw the pitch for strikes. Thanks to his feel and command of his arsenal, Mills should be able to start at the next level.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

BA Grade/Risk: 40/High

Track Record: A Portland, Oregon native, Mills went undrafted out of high school and was little-known until he broke out in the summertime West Coast League between his freshman and sophomore years at Washington State. He spent the next two seasons in the Cougars rotation and was drafted by the Cardinals in the fourth round in 2021, signing for a below-slot $375,000. Mills made his full-season debut in 2022 and rose from Low-A to High-A, compiling a 4-6, 4.03 mark with a 51% groundball rate.

Scouting Report: Mills lacks premium stuff but uses his pitch mix effectively to limit hard contact. A tall righthander with an easy, effortless operation, Mills has a short arm action as he delivers the ball from a high three quarters slot. Due to his size and release height, he creates good downhill plane on low-90s sinker and induces an extreme amount of ground balls with it. He pairs his sinker with an above-average low-80s slider with tight gyro spin and a fringy mid-80s changeup he uses against lefties but has inconsistent command of. Mills is an efficient strike-thrower with above-average control and effectively uses his sinking fastball to control contact.

The Future: Mills' stuff is a tick short to be a No. 5 starter, but he could be an up and down starter or an effective middle reliever with his sinker and slider playing up out of the bullpen.

Scouting Grades: Fastball: 45. Slider 55. Changeup 45. Control: 55
Track Record: Undrafted out of high school, Mills struggled in his first season at Washington State in 2019, had an encouraging showing in the West Coast League the following summer, broke out in 2020 and posted solid, if unspectacular, numbers in 2021 before being selected by the Cardinals in the fourth round. Mills made seven appearances in the Florida Complex League after signing, striking out nine and walking none in 7.2 innings.

Scouting Report: Mills has good size at 6-foot-4, 220 pounds from the right side with projection remaining and a smooth, easy delivery. His fastball sits 89-92 mph with two-seam action, and he pairs it with a slider. While neither pitch projects to be more than average, he has plus command of each offering. He does a good job of mixing his pitches and attacking both sides of the plate. He rounds out his arsenal with a solid-average changeup. What Mills doesn’t offer in stuff, he makes up for in his feel for pitching and strike-throwing ability. Scouts who watched him in college were impressed by his pitchability and polish, which should allow him to continue starting at the professional level.

The Future: Mills should make his full-season debut in 2022, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Cardinals aggressively push him through the system given his polish. He projects as a back-end starter.

Draft Prospects

Undrafted out of high school from Lincoln High in Portland, Mills struggled in his first season at Washington State in 2019, posting a 2-4, 5.25 mark with 40 strikeouts and 21 walks in 36 innings, but took a step forward with an impressive summer in the West Coast League. He carried that momentum into the 2020 season and went 3-0, 0.58 in seven appearances (six starts) in the Northwoods League that summer. This season, Mills pitched well at times, with a 5-5, 4.15 mark, 83 strikeouts and 22 walks in 80.1 innings despite not having a dominant arsenal. At 6-foot-4, 215 pounds, Mills has good size on the mound and is lauded for his pitchability and polish. His three-pitch mix is highlighted by a fastball that sits 88-92 mph and a slider, and his command of both pitches is plus. He also mixes in a changeup, with the ability to throw the pitch for strikes. Thanks to his feel and command of his arsenal, Mills should be able to start at the next level.

Scouting Reports

BA Grade/Risk: 40/High

Track Record: A Portland, Oregon native, Mills went undrafted out of high school and was little-known until he broke out in the summertime West Coast League between his freshman and sophomore years at Washington State. He spent the next two seasons in the Cougars rotation and was drafted by the Cardinals in the fourth round in 2021, signing for a below-slot $375,000. Mills made his full-season debut in 2022 and rose from Low-A to High-A, compiling a 4-6, 4.03 mark with a 51% groundball rate.

Scouting Report: Mills lacks premium stuff but uses his pitch mix effectively to limit hard contact. A tall righthander with an easy, effortless operation, Mills has a short arm action as he delivers the ball from a high three quarters slot. Due to his size and release height, he creates good downhill plane on low-90s sinker and induces an extreme amount of ground balls with it. He pairs his sinker with an above-average low-80s slider with tight gyro spin and a fringy mid-80s changeup he uses against lefties but has inconsistent command of. Mills is an efficient strike-thrower with above-average control and effectively uses his sinking fastball to control contact.

The Future: Mills' stuff is a tick short to be a No. 5 starter, but he could be an up and down starter or an effective middle reliever with his sinker and slider playing up out of the bullpen.

Scouting Grades: Fastball: 45. Slider 55. Changeup 45. Control: 55
BA Grade/Risk: 40/High

Track Record: A Portland, Oregon native, Mills went undrafted out of high school and was little-known until he broke out in the summertime West Coast League between his freshman and sophomore years at Washington State. He spent the next two seasons in the Cougars rotation and was drafted by the Cardinals in the fourth round in 2021, signing for a below-slot $375,000. Mills made his full-season debut in 2022 and rose from Low-A to High-A, compiling a 4-6, 4.03 mark with a 51% groundball rate.

Scouting Report: Mills lacks premium stuff but uses his pitch mix effectively to limit hard contact. A tall righthander with an easy, effortless operation, Mills has a short arm action as he delivers the ball from a high three quarters slot. Due to his size and release height, he creates good downhill plane on low-90s sinker and induces an extreme amount of ground balls with it. He pairs his sinker with an above-average low-80s slider with tight gyro spin and a fringy mid-80s changeup he uses against lefties but has inconsistent command of. Mills is an efficient strike-thrower with above-average control and effectively uses his sinking fastball to control contact.

The Future: Mills' stuff is a tick short to be a No. 5 starter, but he could be an up and down starter or an effective middle reliever with his sinker and slider playing up out of the bullpen.

Scouting Grades: Fastball: 45. Slider 55. Changeup 45. Control: 55
BA Grade: 40/High

Track Record: Undrafted out of high school, Mills struggled in his first season at Washington State in 2019, had an encouraging showing in the West Coast League the following summer, broke out in 2020 and posted solid, if unspectacular, numbers in 2021 before being selected by the Cardinals in the fourth round. Mills made seven appearances in the Florida Complex League after signing, striking out nine and walking none in 7.2 innings.

Scouting Report: Mills has good size at 6-foot-4, 220 pounds from the right side with projection remaining and a smooth, easy delivery. His fastball sits 89-92 mph with two-seam action, and he pairs it with a slider. While neither pitch projects to be more than average, he has plus command of each offering. He does a good job of mixing his pitches and attacking both sides of the plate. He rounds out his arsenal with a solid-average changeup. What Mills doesn&#39t offer in stuff, he makes up for in his feel for pitching and strike-throwing ability. Scouts who watched him in college were impressed by his pitchability and polish, which should allow him to continue starting at the professional level.

The Future: Mills should make his full-season debut in 2022, and it wouldn&#39t be surprising to see the Cardinals aggressively push him through the system given his polish. He projects as a back-end starter.
Track Record: Undrafted out of high school, Mills struggled in his first season at Washington State in 2019, had an encouraging showing in the West Coast League the following summer, broke out in 2020 and posted solid, if unspectacular, numbers in 2021 before being selected by the Cardinals in the fourth round. Mills made seven appearances in the Florida Complex League after signing, striking out nine and walking none in 7.2 innings.

Scouting Report: Mills has good size at 6-foot-4, 220 pounds from the right side with projection remaining and a smooth, easy delivery. His fastball sits 89-92 mph with two-seam action, and he pairs it with a slider. While neither pitch projects to be more than average, he has plus command of each offering. He does a good job of mixing his pitches and attacking both sides of the plate. He rounds out his arsenal with a solid-average changeup. What Mills doesn’t offer in stuff, he makes up for in his feel for pitching and strike-throwing ability. Scouts who watched him in college were impressed by his pitchability and polish, which should allow him to continue starting at the professional level.

The Future: Mills should make his full-season debut in 2022, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Cardinals aggressively push him through the system given his polish. He projects as a back-end starter.