Joseph Dzierwa wasn't an MLB Draft candidate out of Otsego High School in northwest Ohio.
But by the time he was done at Michigan State, he was an All-American.
And on Sunday night, the Baltimore Orioles chose him in the second round of the MLB Draft.
The 6-foot-8 lefty earned his opportunity, and he brings with him immense upside in his lanky frame.
“He was very much a pitcher still in high school. He had a lot of the natural ability and talent and could just overpower people, and size and frame and all that. At Michigan State, they really taught him how to pitch,” Otsego coach Chase Welker told the Toledo Blade. “Even the conversations I’ve had with him in the last year or so, just talking about how he approaches things, you can tell he’s kind of turned that edge where he’s not a thrower. He’s become a pitcher. In that regard, Michigan State did a great job in helping him develop.”
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Dzierwa was the 2025 Big Ten Pitcher of the Year. He had a 2.36 ERA with 104 strikeouts in 91.2 innings.
He brings with him a strong changeup and a fastball with run on it.
He throws from a three-quarter arm slot, which is especially unique given his height.
From Otsego to, hopefully, the Orioles.
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