Prior to this season, Steven Zobac was a relatively unknown Royals prospect but has quickly gotten himself on the radar after a very impressive 2024 season. He has been an incredibly pleasant surprise for the Royals’ organization and has firmly cemented himself as one of their top pitching prospects. The 6’3″/185 lbs. right-hander was selected by the Royals in the 4th round of the 2022 MLB draft out of the University of California. Zobac was an outfielder at Cal until his junior season when he became a full-time pitcher, making his development that much more impressive. This is only Zobac’s second season pitching professionally, and he has blown scouts away with his improvement in nearly every facet of his game.
What is his pitch arsenal?
Zobac has always been known for having an above-average command of his pitches, and that trend has continued this season. He has a solid 3-pitch mix and has been effective with all three. His primary pitch is a mid-90s fastball that has very good ride up in the zone, helping him get swings and misses despite not having top-end velocity. He also gets great extension with his delivery, which allows his fastball to play up and fool hitters. He pairs the fastball with a very high-quality slider and a changeup that has been effective down and away against lefties. The slider sits around 84 MPH but has a great bite to it and gets a lot of swing and miss, especially from righties. The changeup has been a real focus for him this season to help his fastball play better and improve his outcome against lefties. He has had much more success with the changeup this season and that has improved his ability to be consistent no matter who is at the plate.
What went well in 2024?
Zobac started the season in High-A Quad Cities and after posting very quality numbers was promoted in early July to Double-A Northwest Arkansas. Zobac made 14 appearances with the River Bandits and pitched just over 70 innings, where he posted a 3.95 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP. He especially broke out in June, holding a 1.17 ERA and .65 WHIP over 23 innings. Zobac also struck out 24 batters without allowing a walk in June, not allowing a home run in the process. These numbers in June pushed the Royals to promote him in July.
Since being promoted, he has been unbelievably impressive and has caught the eye of just about everyone in the organization. Zobac’s numbers only got better when he reached Double-A, as his ERA fell to 2.78 with an incredible 11.71 K/9. His .69 S% this season, compared to the league average which is around .58 S%, further proves his strong command of the zone. His BB/9 is only 2.02, compared to a league average of about 3.15.
Final thoughts
Zobac’s ability to limit baserunners and command the zone with limited pitching experience shows his incredible potential as a prospect. As of now, Zobac only throws three quality pitches. As he moves up, I would like to see him add a sinker or cutter to help miss bats and maybe include a variation of the change/slider. He has plenty of time to do this and is already ahead of the curve.
With the Royals’ recent struggles with fastball development, Zobac’s quality 4-seamer with good carry and command is very promising. With his recent success, I think he could see a promotion to Triple-A Omaha early next year, with the potential of reaching the majors in late 2025. I think we will see Zobac fight for a spot in the rotation down the line, but he could also have potential in the bullpen with his above-average strikeout numbers. I look forward to seeing his continued development in 2025.
Image credit: Northwest Arkansas Naturals
