Steven Zobac Stats & Scouting Report

IP	29.1
ERA	2.15
WHIP	.82
BB/9	1.53
SO/9	13.19

Full name Steven Reed Zobac
Born 10/14/2000 in San Jose, CA
Profile Ht.: 6'3" / Wt.: 185 / Bats: L / Throws: R
School California
Drafted in the 4th round (115th overall) by the Kansas City Royals in 2022 (signed for $500,000).

View Draft Report

The Zobacs are quite the pair at California. Steven is a three-year starter for the Golden Bears’ baseball team and his twin sister, Kacey, is a catcher for Cal’s softball team. Steven moved full-time to the mound this year after previously splitting time between the outfield and pitching. His newfound focus on pitching helped his stuff tick up and become one of the more intriguing prospects in the class. Zobac's fastball jumped from 90-93 mph to 92-96 mph with late hop that helps it get swings and misses and play as a plus pitch. His primary secondary is an above-average, 82-85 mph slider that has power and depth. His slider can get a little big at times, but he’s shown he can land it for a strike or throw it down and away out of the strike zone to finish off hitters. He is still somewhat raw and needs to develop a third pitch, but he has at least average control and the athleticism to repeat his delivery. Zobac is a good competitor and still has best work as a pitcher likely ahead of him. He earns comparisons to Dodgers righthander Tony Gonsolin as a tough, athletic two-way college player who could break out with his focus solely on pitching.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

BA Grade: 40/High

Track Record: Zobac was initially a two-way player at California who didn’t focus solely on pitching until his third year. His stuff and draft stock both jumped, and the Royals signed the athletic righthander to a $500,000 bonus in the fourth round in 2022. He posted a 3.47 ERA in 90.2 innings across the Royals’ two Class A Affiliates in 2023 despite fading down the stretch with High-A Quad Cities, posting a 6.04 ERA over his last six starts.

Scouting Report: Zobac pairs well above-average athleticism with a very cerebral mental approach to pitching. His four-seam fastball was a valuable pitch in 2023. His heater sits in the mid 90s and can touch 97 mph with excellent life and above-average ride. He complements the fastball with a potentially plus slider in the mid-to-upper 80s. He rounds out his three-pitch mix with a fringe-average changeup in the low 80s in which he still lacks confidence. He has a simple, repeatable delivery and walked just 6.4% of batters in 2023.

The Future: Zobac is newer to pitching than a typical 23-year-old college hurler, so he may not move as quickly as his counterparts and could likely head back to High-A to start the 2024 season.

Scouting Grades Fastball: 55 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 45 | Control: 50
BA Grade/Risk: 45/Extreme

Track Record: The Zobac family had their version of double trouble at California the last three years, as Steven pitched for the baseball team while twin sister Casey played on the Golden Bears softball team. After moving between the mound and the outfield for his first two college seasons, Zobac focused strictly on pitching in 2022--that move allowed his stuff to jump up. He saw his first Royals mound action during the fall instructional league.

Scouting Report: Zobac has an exciting arm with a lot of upside, especially now that he's no longer a two-way player and will get more pitching experience. The fastball is a potential plus pitch, sitting 95 mph and touching 97. It doesn't have much side-to-side movement but has solid carry. It's easy velocity as the ball comes out clean without a lot of effort in his high, three-quarter delivery, which he repeats well thanks to his athleticism. His best secondary pitch is an above-average slider, delivered in the mid-80s with bite at the strike zone. His 83-84 mph changeup is still very much a work-in-progress, but he shows some feel for it.

The Future: . He'll start his official Royals career in 2023 with an assignment to one of the Class A teams. There's still plenty of development needed to improve his repertoire, but Zobac is looking like good value for a fourth-round pick.

Scouting Grades Fastball: 55. Slider: 55. Changeup: 40. Control: 50

Draft Prospects

School: California Committed/Drafted: Never Drafted
Age At Draft: 21.8
The Zobacs are quite the pair at California. Steven is a three-year starter for the Bears’ baseball team and his twin sister Kacey has been a catcher for Cal’s softball team for three years. Steven moved full-time to the mound this year after splitting time between the outfield and pitching in the past. His newfound focus on pitching helped his stuff pick up. He averaged 92-94 mph with his fastball this year and touched 96 after sitting at 90-92 and touching 93 in 2021. Zobac’s plus fastball comes in quite flat, with late hop that hitters struggle to catch up to. He got swings and misses 25% of the time this year. His above-average 82-85 mph slider has power and depth. It can get a little big at times, but he’s shown he can land it for a strike or throw it down and away out of the zone to finish off hitters. Zobac is a competitor on the mound, he’s athletic and his best work as a pitcher is likely ahead of him since he’s just started focusing on it.

Scouting Reports

BA Grade/Risk: 45/Extreme

Track Record: The Zobac family had their version of double trouble at California the last three years, as Steven pitched for the baseball team while twin sister Casey played on the Golden Bears softball team. After moving between the mound and the outfield for his first two college seasons, Zobac focused strictly on pitching in 2022--that move allowed his stuff to jump up. He saw his first Royals mound action during the fall instructional league.

Scouting Report: Zobac has an exciting arm with a lot of upside, especially now that he's no longer a two-way player and will get more pitching experience. The fastball is a potential plus pitch, sitting 95 mph and touching 97. It doesn't have much side-to-side movement but has solid carry. It's easy velocity as the ball comes out clean without a lot of effort in his high, three-quarter delivery, which he repeats well thanks to his athleticism. His best secondary pitch is an above-average slider, delivered in the mid-80s with bite at the strike zone. His 83-84 mph changeup is still very much a work-in-progress, but he shows some feel for it.

The Future: . He'll start his official Royals career in 2023 with an assignment to one of the Class A teams. There's still plenty of development needed to improve his repertoire, but Zobac is looking like good value for a fourth-round pick.

Scouting Grades Fastball: 55. Slider: 55. Changeup: 40. Control: 50
BA Grade/Risk: 45/Extreme

Track Record: The Zobac family had their version of double trouble at California the last three years, as Steven pitched for the baseball team while twin sister Casey played on the Golden Bears softball team. After moving between the mound and the outfield for his first two college seasons, Zobac focused strictly on pitching in 2022--that move allowed his stuff to jump up. He saw his first Royals mound action during the fall instructional league.

Scouting Report: Zobac has an exciting arm with a lot of upside, especially now that he's no longer a two-way player and will get more pitching experience. The fastball is a potential plus pitch, sitting 95 mph and touching 97. It doesn't have much side-to-side movement but has solid carry. It's easy velocity as the ball comes out clean without a lot of effort in his high, three-quarter delivery, which he repeats well thanks to his athleticism. His best secondary pitch is an above-average slider, delivered in the mid-80s with bite at the strike zone. His 83-84 mph changeup is still very much a work-in-progress, but he shows some feel for it.

The Future: . He'll start his official Royals career in 2023 with an assignment to one of the Class A teams. There's still plenty of development needed to improve his repertoire, but Zobac is looking like good value for a fourth-round pick.

Scouting Grades Fastball: 55. Slider: 55. Changeup: 40. Control: 50

Career Transactions

RHP Steven Zobac assigned to Northwest Arkansas Naturals from Quad Cities River Bandits.
RHP Steven Zobac assigned to Quad Cities River Bandits from Columbia Fireflies.
RHP Steven Zobac assigned to Quad Cities River Bandits from Columbia Fireflies.
RHP Steven Zobac assigned to Columbia Fireflies from ACL Royals.