Zander Mueth Stats & Scouting Report

IP	22.2
ERA	3.97
WHIP	1.41
BB/9	9.53
SO/9	9.13

Full name Zander Charles Mueth
Born 06/22/2005 in Belleville, IL
Profile Ht.: 6'6" / Wt.: 205 / Bats: R / Throws: R
School Belleville Township East HS, Illinois
Drafted in the CB-B round (67th overall) by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2023 (signed for $1,797,500).

View Draft Report

School: Belleville Township East HS, Illinois Source: HS

Commit/Drafted: Mississippi
Age At Draft: 18.1
BA Grade:50/Extreme
Tools:Fastball: 60. Slider: 55. Changeup: 55. Control: 45.

The Mississippi commit wowed scouts as an underclassman thanks to impressive arm speed and fastball velocity that has continued to tick up over the past year and a half. With plenty of physical projection remaining on his 6-foot-6, 210-pound frame, Mueth makes for an extremely difficult at-bat for opposing hitters. He moves quickly with great arm speed and releases the ball from a lower, three-quarter slot that is fully sidearm at times. This spring, Mueth would sit 95-97 early, before settling into the 92-95 mph range as his pitch count increased. On top of velocity, Mueth gets heavy arm-side run and sink on his fastball, which makes the pitch difficult to square up and generates whiffs and weak groundball contact. Mueth throws a sweeping, 80-84 mph slider that has the potential to serve as a putaway pitch, and his mid-80s changeup will flash plus due to its heavy dropping action as it approaches the plate. He needs to improve his command and consistency at the next level, as his control would come and go at times. When he was synced up and filling the zone he looked dominant against high school competition and has the sort of physicality that would make additional velocity and power unsurprising in a few years. Mueth is also young for the class and turns 18 just a month before the draft.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

BA Grade/Risk: 55/Extreme.

Track Record: The Pirates haven’t shied away from drafting cold-weather prep arms in recent years. They targeted Mueth, an Illinois native, in the second round of the 2023 draft, going over slot by roughly $650,000 to sign him to a bonus just shy of $1.8 million. The 19-year-old debuted in 2024, earning a Florida Complex League player of the year award before ending the year with Low-A Bradenton. Mueth posted a 2.31 ERA with 79 strikeouts in 74 innings, though he walked more batters (24) than he struck out (23) over 22.2 innings in Bradenton.

Scouting Report: The 6-foot-6 Mueth throws from a nearly sidearm slot, making for an uncomfortable at-bat for righthanded hitters. His deceptive release creates unique ride and run on a 92-95 mph fastball that touched 97 and has plus potential. Mueth’s preferred secondary is a sweeping mid-80s slider that tunnels well with his fastball release and flashes plus, albeit with inconsistent shape when it Frisbees across the strike zone. Hitters whiffed on his slider roughly 46% of the time. Mueth also throws a mid-80s changeup that flashes hard bottom and sinking action and functions as another chase option against lefties. Mueth’s willingness to challenge hitters with his entire east-west arsenal drew praise from external evaluators. Now, he needs to land everything in the zone more frequently. Mueth’s command of his secondaries can waver and he often loses pitches to his arm side. The long-limbed righty moves well on the mound with a great frame, so there’s reason for optimism that the strike-throwing improves with age, though his ceiling is likely fringe-average command.

The Future: Mueth has midrotation upside. He’ll return to the lower levels in 2025 looking to turn his impressive stuff into more efficient results.

Scouting Grades Fastball: 60 | Slider: 60 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 45
BA Grade: 50/Extreme

Track Record: As an amateur, Mueth was lauded for his combination of present stuff and remaining projection. The Pirates took him in the supplemental second round and signed him away from a commitment to Mississippi with a bonus of $1,797,500. He didn’t pitch after signing and instead focused on developing a routine and getting on a throwing program that would help him better acclimate to pro ball.

Scouting Report: Mueth has a quick arm and throws from a tough angle that varies from low three-quarters to fully sidearm. His fastball can sit between 92-95 and touch up to 97 mph with armside run and sink that should induce plenty of grounders. He pairs the fastball with an above-average slider with sweeping break that should get plenty of swings and misses at the end of at-bats. He rounds out the mix with a changeup in the low 80s that also gets plenty of drop. Like his slider, the changeup flashes the potential to be above-average. When his delivery is together, he’s extremely difficult to hit. Now, he needs to do that more often. Streamlining his delivery and making it repeatable will be job one as soon as he makes his professional debut.

The Future: If it all comes together he could be a dominant part of a starting rotation. That’s especially if he continues packing good weight and strength onto his frame. If not, his fastball-slider combination would be an excellent addition to the back of a bullpen. He’ll likely debut in the Florida Complex League with a chance to reach Low-A by the end of the 2024 season.

Scouting Grades Fastball: 60 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 55 | Control: 45

Draft Prospects

School: Belleville Township East HS, Illinois Source: HS

Commit/Drafted: Mississippi
Age At Draft: 18.1
BA Grade:50/Extreme
Tools:Fastball: 60. Slider: 55. Changeup: 55. Control: 45.

The Mississippi commit wowed scouts as an underclassman thanks to impressive arm speed and fastball velocity that has continued to tick up over the past year and a half. With plenty of physical projection remaining on his 6-foot-6, 210-pound frame, Mueth makes for an extremely difficult at-bat for opposing hitters. He moves quickly with great arm speed and releases the ball from a lower, three-quarter slot that is fully sidearm at times. This spring, Mueth would sit 95-97 early, before settling into the 92-95 mph range as his pitch count increased. On top of velocity, Mueth gets heavy arm-side run and sink on his fastball, which makes the pitch difficult to square up and generates whiffs and weak groundball contact. Mueth throws a sweeping, 80-84 mph slider that has the potential to serve as a putaway pitch, and his mid-80s changeup will flash plus due to its heavy dropping action as it approaches the plate. He needs to improve his command and consistency at the next level, as his control would come and go at times. When he was synced up and filling the zone he looked dominant against high school competition and has the sort of physicality that would make additional velocity and power unsurprising in a few years. Mueth is also young for the class and turns 18 just a month before the draft.