Get To Know Zander Mueth: “I’m Just Gonna Throw Hard”

All right, everybody, welcome to North Shore Nine presented by FanDuel.

I'm Jim, and joining me today is Pirates pitching prospect heading to the Arizona Fall League, actually in Arizona right now, Zander Mueth.

Zander, thanks for joining us.

Yeah, no problem.

Thanks for having me on.

So, Zander, read earlier, actually earlier this week, the Pirates apparently aren't even going to tell you when you're pitching until the day you're pitching when you're down there.

So, first of all, do you hate this?

No.

No, it's been fun so far.

the adrenaline gets going, you know.

That gets you hot quicker than you think it would.

So are they doing – are you like an over-preparer?

Is that just like your nature?

Is that why they're doing this?

Like are you thinking too much ahead at times?

What's the thought process here?

Yeah, a little bit.

Like just warming up and stuff like that.

Just – I feel like that's like everybody whenever they start games.

Like you know it's your day, so you got to go five, six innings, save the bullpen.

But – now it's now it's just it's like the same i would say like you can still get the warm-up in but you get a lot more time to chill throughout the clubhouse and then throughout the game so it's like the

same warm-up pretty much but just spread out throughout the day which is nice Yeah.

So is the goal while you're down there to maybe like think less, just pitch?

Is that the thing?

Yeah.

Yeah.

That's how it was even at the end of the year in Bradenton, he was like, he was like, just go out there and pitch.

Like I'm going to, you got one, two innings.

You don't have to worry about going deep into the game.

Just pitch, just show off everything.

So you brought him up, but I wanted to, that was a good segue to Matt Ford, your pitching coach there in Bradenton.

So apparently you guys had a book club going on.

Yeah, we did.

Tell me a little bit about this.

Were you reading the entire book?

Were you just reading a chapter?

What was this?

How many books were you reading?

It was just one book.

It was the mental ABCs of pitching.

we've since i've been with the pirates it's been we've been doing it every year pretty much but like we did it a lot more consistently i think during the year because like you know you get

you get in the middle of the season in the fcl we were trying to do it at the beginning and then like towards the middle it just fizzled out we were all just like okay but this year was a little bit better like obviously

we just read chapters so it was like first week didn't have a great start so Fordy, who I have a great connection with he was like what a what a great idea to let Zander go first so that was fun I

mean we have fun with it like it was a good change of pace like you know you go to the meeting first day of the week on Tuesday and it's like You have whoever read the chapter.

And it's fun.

Like, Fordy is a lighthearted guy.

I had a bunch of fun with him.

So, like, we're not trying to embarrass anybody or anything up there.

Like, you have guys who are like me where we're not good at public speaking.

And then you have the Latin guys who have, the language barrier there.

But, we had fun.

Like, we were just making jokes about it the whole time.

So it's nice doing that.

Yeah.

Are you like getting up there?

Are you doing like a PowerPoint presentation and like presenting it to the class type of deal?

Or is it just like, Hey, what'd you learn?

it's more of what you learned.

It was no, there was no like PowerPoint.

It was just like, you sent Fordy a text the night before, like what you were going to talk about.

And he was like, okay, got you.

And then get up there.

You got fifteen eyes on you that are your boys.

It's like, it's like that time in class whenever you, whenever your boys present and you're trying not to make them laugh.

Yeah.

Of course, reading through that article, they were talking about that.

Of course, he assigns you adversity.

Was that on purpose?

No, I picked that.

He let us pick.

We went down the alphabet.

I had the first week, so I had A.

Then I think I picked Seth, and he had B.

It just goes down the line like that.

I thought it was...

I thought it was good for me to read that at the beginning of the year after that first start.

Yeah.

Was there anything from that chapter that stuck with you where you're like, you know what?

I learned that from there.

It's sticking with me.

I just keep repeating that to myself.

it's really just like...

From what stuck with me, it was like whenever you face adversity, not to try and do too much.

Like...

I have I think I have a pretty good routine.

So it's like there's no need to change it.

Like just keep following the routine and trust it and not try like one bad start.

You're trying to change stuff.

So it's just like following the process.

Got it.

Got it.

So another thing to apparently this offseason part of your offseason program was yoga.

Is that right?

i have done some yoga i've my mom is now a yoga instructor and the studio she goes to her best friend owns so i go i go up there and you know i just have fun like

i'm not i'm not over here trying to trying to impress anybody i was gonna ask like are you like are you really good at yoga or is it just like you're the big six guy in the back of the class just she you'll never see me in a public

class i will go i luckily she does privates with me because i'm too embarrassed to go in front of fifteen people and you'll just see me falling everywhere yeah but what is your favorite

yoga pose i couldn't even tell you yeah i'm the one that's like in the back of the class in the back of the class like looking at what everybody's doing i'm like okay i can maybe do this yeah and then

it's not crazy hard.

Like, obviously, as an athlete, like, you have that like, makeup there.

Like, everybody talks about the makeup during the game.

Like, especially as a pitcher, like, you have a little bit of makeup with, like, timing and everything.

So, like, I have that during yoga, which I use to my advantage.

It doesn't look pretty, but I make it work.

All right.

So, are you going to stick with it?

Like, are you going to stick with the yoga?

Yeah.

i'll probably do it a couple times yeah but yeah it just depends on how my schedule is looking yeah so growing up you know you did way

more than baseball basketball soccer track was that just you doing as much as possible or your parents just trying to get you out of the house or what

No, that was just what I did.

Like, where I grew up is small town.

Pretty much everybody that I played with in those sports was on my teams.

Like, everybody that played baseball played basketball in the winter and track in...

What season is?

In spring, because we had fall baseball in Illinois growing up.

So it was, like, all those guys I played with.

So it was fun.

And it was just how it happened.

Like, I grew up in the middle of the country.

So, like...

and didn't have any internet until i was fourteen or fifteen so you gotta you gotta figure out something to do so it'd be playing basketball outside you know and i had a bunch of cornfields so i feel bad for my

neighbors because i used to just hit golf balls into the end of the field so yeah sorry about that as a pitcher you guys you guys are out golfing all the time right oh yeah i try i try to

get out maybe once a week but know whenever you're getting through the season it starts taking a toll a little bit you know stacking the rounds arizona's a good spot for golf too i know i know yeah we went

yeah we went out to scottsdale the other day up to the western resort and played around there it was pretty nice what's is golf your favorite non-baseball sport

Yeah.

Yeah, it has to be.

that's a great thing.

You just get out there and like, you don't even realize that you played a four hour golf round.

Cause like, cause like you're always in the golf cart, like hitting the shot, then you're back in the golf cart and like that.

So it's a great way to pass the time.

Like instead of just sitting, scrolling on TikTok and playing video games.

And you're outside, you're with your buddies.

Yeah, nothing beats that.

No, it's outstanding.

All right, I want to rewind to draft night.

So found out that you knew before the pick that the Pirates were going to draft you, right?

You told your dad and then you kept it a secret from your mom.

Was that the story?

Yeah.

What was the reason for that?

Okay, granted we didn't we didn't have enough time.

They called the Pirates or actually my agent called me at like the sixty-six pick Mm-hmm.

I think it's like he's like a you're going right like next pick to the Pirates and I was like okay, and it was it was my dad my pitching coach that were actually on the phone with me and so we didn't really

tell anybody because I was like didn't have enough time because it like pick already was in and like I My pick was already coming up, like, already on the clock.

So I was like, oh, I'll just let everybody be surprised.

And, yeah, it was crazy because I actually didn't think I was going to go on day one.

So it was like I had a bunch of people over.

And...

got some calls early in the day and then like I was thought I was going the next day like early in the third round it's like my fiance had her had her family there and everything and we were just sitting there and I'm like it

ain't happening tonight and then and then I get that call and come back and I'm just like I'm not telling anybody I'm just gonna let him be surprised yeah did you did you act surprised

or after the fact you were like yeah i knew that was happening i tried to play it off but my fiance said that she could tell that i was that i got the call yeah

but i think i think she was the only one that could tell Got it.

So you get drafted.

You head to Florida.

You're eighteen years old, straight out of high school.

And then one of the first guys that you are working out with is Paul Skenes.

So did you...

realized like is this is this like could be a normal thing that i'm just like right next to the guy who just won the college world series like did you just bond right away that were you almost like holy this is the first overall pick Paul Skenes or

what was that like i would say before i got down to florida it was like that i was like damn i won't be down there with paul but then like whenever i got down there it was like was never like that just because like we

we started being friends right away and so like and i was always in the weight room with him like we were always lifting and we were always the last two guys in there so like it was more just me like watching what

he does and like because like i'm an eighteen-year-old like you know get drafted out of high school you think that you know everything and it's like And just watching him, like, and throwing program and then lifting, like, his warm-up and stuff like that,

it was nice to see, like, what he does.

And, like, yeah, we hung out a couple times outside the field, which was nice to see him outside the field because everybody sees him all serious, like, on the field.

But, that dude, he's the funniest.

He's really funny.

Yeah.

What was there something that you saw that him do like, in his workouts or just getting prepared that you were like, man, that's different.

Like this guy's pretty special.

with how big he is you'd be surprised he does not lift as heavy as you think like it's a lot of it's a lot of like banded stuff with a barbell but like it's all it's all about the control

like controlling the core and the legs and everything and obviously you see it like he's been the best pitcher he's been healthy and like Obviously it's like,

it's in zone percentage and everything like that all translates from the weight room.

Yeah.

Okay.

So let's talk about your development over the last couple of years, your whole life when you were drafted, you were, you were known for this, like this low arm slot.

And then, you've changed that up a little bit.

Is there, is there, does your delivery, are you tweaking it all the time to see what feels best?

Or are you in a good spot right now?

Tell us a little bit about that.

right now i'm in a good spot i'm just honestly if i'm being honest since i got moved to the bullpen i'm like i'm just gonna throw hard like and it's helped me because i haven't been thinking about mechanics and everything's been on the up

since i've been thinking that but like yeah my first year in the fcl was moving really well but the end zone rates weren't in zone and strike percentage rates weren't what i wanted it to be and the walks were up there and then

Came back in the offseason from pitching camp, and my arm slot was way farther down.

Like, didn't see any video all offseason, and I was throwing, like, Frisbees up there.

So I sat down and talked with our coaches, and I was like, hey, I need to fix this to where it was.

So we were fixing it, and then it kept climbing.

And then I think that's where the injuries came from was just, like, the arm just kept climbing up.

So, like, my body wasn't used to it.

And then this year just was letting my arm flow, like wasn't trying to do anything.

And it got itself back to natural.

Okay.

So I feel like it's in a good spot now, just throwing the ball.

Yeah.

Yeah.

not thinking about it whenever I go out there, it's about competing now.

Okay.

So we'll wrap this up with some rapid fire questions.

We're going to ask everybody who's going out there the exact same questions too.

So everybody's getting asked the same questions.

But think about the teammates that you're out there with.

First off, who's the funniest person you're playing with out there?

Easy.

Easy.

Walsh.

Walsh.

Okay.

Easy.

Let's say you've got a six-hour road trip.

which teammate are you refusing to sit next to oh six out if it's a six hour road trip i'm gonna have to say walsh just because just because i feel

like for six hours he's just gonna be way too energetic got it got it all right which teammate do you trust least with your credit card

He's going to hate this, but I'm going to have to say Wyatt.

I'm going to have to say Wyatt Sanford.

I think Easton said Wyatt too.

Yeah.

Who's the biggest trash talker?

Biggest trash talker?

I'm going to have to say Easton because he's a hitter.

He's got that mentality where he doesn't think anybody's going to beat him, which I love.

Yeah.

All right.

You're stranded in the desert.

You got one phone call.

Someone has come pick you up.

Who are you calling?

I feel like Walsh, the Yale graduate.

He's going to find a way to get out there.

Yeah.

All right.

And then who are you absolutely refusing to let control the aux in the clubhouse?

I'm going to have to say myself.

I'm not, I'm not hopping on that aux.

Everybody would hate it because it's just country.

Yeah.

Like every, everybody, I was on aux in the truck this morning and Walsh and Walsh and B. Cain, let me hear it.

All right.

So that's what's funny though, is you said yourself and then Easton also said himself.

So really no one's, no one's really confident in there at this point.

You're going to get some good answers later because I feel like B.

Cain and Walsh will have some good answers for that.

Okay.

Good.

So, no, man, I appreciate you hopping on here.

Like I said, we're heading down there in a couple weeks, so we'll get to see you guys in action.

We're excited about it.

Love heading down there.

I love the Arizona Fall League.

It's just the vibe.

We're just completely – they're so unique and nothing that you really get to experience like anywhere else, though.

yeah, I'm excited about it.

So yeah, it's been fun so far.

Our team, our team has been great.

Like all the guys have been getting along.

I think, I think we probably have one of the best, team camaraderies out here.

Love it.

Love it.

Well, Hey, best of luck this fall.

and yeah, we'll see in a couple of weeks.

All right.

Sounds good.

Thank you.

I appreciate it.

All right.

See you.

All right.

Thanks, man.