Latest MLB Draft projections for Gage Wood after historic performance
Latest MLB Draft projections for Gage Wood after historic performance
Gage Wood made some incredible baseball history on Monday, hurling a no-hitter with 19 strikeouts for Arkansas in the College World Series against Murray State.
The Razorbacks won, 3-0, as Gage became the first player to toss a no-hitter on this stage since Oklahoma State's Jim Wixson in 1960. Only a hit batter in the eighth inning separated Wood from a perfect game. Still, the timing could't have been any better as Wood closes out his Arkansas career and prepares for the MLB Draft on July 13.
Wood was already expected to go high in the draft. Here's the latest look at his draft stock after Monday's all-timer of a performance in Omaha.
MLB Prospect Ranking: No. 50
After Wood became Arkansas' closer as a freshman in 2023 and then continued to log high-leverage relief innings as a sophomore, scouts looked forward to him joining the rotation this spring. He came down with a shoulder impingement after his second start and missed two months before coming back for the stretch run. Though his command was sporadic, his combination of stuff and strikes could still land him in the top two rounds.
Wood has one of the best fastballs in the Draft, sitting at 94-96 mph and reaching 98. Its combination of velocity and carry, along with his low release height and flat approach angle, produce elite rates of chases, as well as overall and in-zone swing and misses. He relies heavily on his heater and a power 82-85 mph curveball that shows flashes of becoming a plus pitch.
Wood's upper-80s slider isn't nearly as effective as his curve and he barely uses a changeup with similar velocity and decent fade. After battling the strike zone as a freshman, he has carried a five percent walk rate the last two seasons. He has the ingredients to succeed as a starter, though he has also had shoulder issues in high school and will have to prove he can handle the workload.
Baseball America Mock Draft 4.0 (June 9): No. 21, Houston Astros
Wood has been on a rocket ship in recent weeks. He has first-round stuff between his swing-and-miss, mid-90s fastball and a hard biting power curve. There are some Cade Horton/Ty Floyd vibes to Wood's 2025 season and postseason up-arrow surge. Dana Brown has prioritized riding fastballs like Wood's in the past. Some in the industry think this is too high, but we're reaching a bit of a vacuum in the college starter demographic at this point in the draft.
ESPN Mock Draft 1.0 (May 28): No. 17, Chicago Cubs
Wood is a hot name because of his huge stuff, but he has started only 10 games in college. Some scouts think that if he can make a number of starts for Arkansas this postseason, he could have a rise like Cade Horton, who went No. 7 in 2022 out of Oklahoma and is now in the big leagues for the Cubs. This projection is a little speculative, but I don't think Wood would get out of the 20s if the draft were held today. He is a more refined version of another Arkansas pitcher the Cubs took in the second round in 2023, Jaxon Wiggins.
Just Baseball Mock Draft 4.0 (June 16): No. 38, New York Mets
If you're looking for the ability to miss bats with the fastball, look no further than Arkansas' Gage Wood. The secondaries haven't quite caught up with the fastball but Wood would (see what I did there?) likely flourish as a starter in a strong Mets pitching development environment.
We'll see what the next round of mock drafts look like after the College World Series wraps up.
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