Cole McDonald is a six-foot-one, 218 lb. left-handed pitcher from New Hampton, IA. Born on March 11, 1997, he was a 15th-round pick of Houston in 2019, with the 466th overall choice. Five players chosen at that spot have made the majors, led by James Shields (30.7 WAR). Chosen out of the University of Iowa, McDonald could be the 14th Hawkeye to make the big leagues.
McDonald spent his time after the draft mainly with the short-season-A Tri-City ValleyCats, and pitched 24 1⁄3 innings over nine games with them. In 2021, he was limited by injury to only four appearances, three with the Rookie-level FCL Astros and one with the High-A Asheville Tourists.