After two years in Hurricanes’ rotation, Gage Ziehl drafted in fourth round by Yankees

Back-to-back strong seasons in the Miami Hurricanes’ weekend rotation helped Gage Ziehl propel himself into a Day 2 selection in the 2024 MLB Draft.

The New York Yankees selected Miami Hurricanes right-handed pitcher Greg Ziehl with the 119th overall pick in the fourth round of the 2024 MLB Draft. Ziehl is the second UM player selected in the draft, going six picks after Rafe Schlesinger, who went 113th to the Cleveland Guardians.

Ziehl finished his junior season with a 3.87 ERA over 100 innings in 15 starts. He tossed a pair of complete games, on March 15 against North Carolina and March 28 against Clemson. He also had eight total quality starts, defined as pitching at least six innings while giving up no more than three earned runs. Five of those quality starts were in Atlantic Coast Conference play (UNC, Clemson twice — once in the regular season and again in the ACC Tournament — Georgia Tech and Florida State). Two of the others were against BYU and Florida.

Over his three-year UM career, Ziehl went 15-9 with a 4.07 ERA in 61 appearances (31 starts) while striking out 241 batters in 227 2/3 innings. After starting in the bullpen as a freshman, Ziehl headlined Miami’s weekend rotation as both a sophomore and a junior.

MLB Pipeline, which ranked Ziehl as the No. 89 prospect in the draft this year, broke down Ziehl as follows: “When he’s at his best, the 6-foot right-hander has three solid pitches and the ability to use his stuff late into games. His fastball has averaged around 93 mph and is up to 95 mph as a starter, while he touched 97 mph out of the bullpen as a freshman. He used to rely more on sink with his heater but has shifted to higher spin four-seamers up in the zone, and he can move it around the zone well. His best pitch now is a hard cutter-like slider thrown in the mid-80s, and he has feel for a changeup that is particularly effective against left-handed hitters.

“While Ziehl isn’t the biggest guy in the world, he’s compact and strong at 223 pounds. He repeats his delivery well and has a strong history of throwing strikes. Scouts laud his makeup and toughness on the mound, wanting the ball in key situations and leading a staff. Some scouts think he might be best suited for a setup type role in a bullpen, where his stuff might tick up, while others give him every chance to stick in a rotation.”