Zach Root
Zach Root burst onto the Dodger scene Saturday night, looking like the reincarnation of Sandy Koufax … with an altered delivery. The story of Zach Root is actually a pretty classic “late-blooming, grinder-to-dude” arc with a few sharp turns along the way. He is not a can’t-miss…
Zach Root burst onto the Dodger scene Saturday night, looking like the reincarnation of Sandy Koufax … with an altered delivery. The story of Zach Root is actually a pretty classic “late-blooming, grinder-to-dude” arc with a few sharp turns along the way. He is not a can’t-miss phenom — He’s more like a slow-burning fuse. Let me explain. He was born on Feb 6, 2004, in Fort Myers, Florida, and attended Fort Myers High School. As a senior, he posted a 6–2 record, with a 1.50 ERA (he also hit .346)… and was not drafted in 2022. Next, he went to the MLB Draft Combine… and still got passed over.
So, He heads to East Carolina and starts carving himself into a real pitcher:
Freshman (2023):
- 3–3
- 5.53 ERA
- Flashes, but inconsistent
Sophomore (2024):
- 6–2
- 3.56 ERA
- 76 strikeouts,
- Opponents hit just .228
He was improving, going from “who cares” to “interesting arm” to “reliable starter,” but he was not yet a top-tier national name. So, he made a bold, career-defining move:
He transfers to Arkansas — big stage, SEC spotlight. BOOM!!!
2025 (Junior year):
- 9–6 record
- 3.62 ERA
- 126 strikeouts in 99 innings
- 30% strikeout rate
- First-team All-SEC
- College World Series run
That was when the scouts started turning their heads. Root isn’t built like a 100 mph highlight reel. Instead, he’s more like a pitching chess player:
- Fastball: 91–94 (touches 97) with sink
- Changeup = best pitch (real weapon)
- Curveball = swing-and-miss machine
- Cutter/slider = fourth piece
- Uses a deep 4-pitch mix evenly
- He led D1 in curveball strikeouts (51)
And his delivery?
- High leg kick
- Funky arm path
- Tough angle on hitters
Think less “overpowering bully”… more “lefty surgeon with a full toolkit.” He became the Dodgers’ top pick in 2025 (#40 overall), and signed for $2.2 Million.
Dodgers-style projection (this is the interesting part)
This is very Dodgers:
- Not just velocity
- Command + pitch mix + deception
- High floor starter profile
Think:
- Mid-rotation starter upside
- Fast mover through the system
- Could outperform his draft slot
To me, he’s a combination of the good traits of Andrew Heaney, Jose Quintana, and Mark Buehrle. He’s the opposite of Bobby Miller. I believe we will see him in 2027, if not sooner. I think he’s a guy who can get outs in October. He seems to have a slow heartbeat. He also plays with passion and fire in his belly. I like that!
Why Alex Freeland?
A lot of Dodger fans are scratching their heads, wondering why Hyeseong Kim did not make the Opening Day Roster because he had better stats. But did he really? Kim hit .407 in 27 AB’s, and had 11 hits, including one home run. However, the other ten hits were all singles. He also only walked 1 time. I saw every hit, and many were the seeing-eye variety. In other words, Kim was lucky.
On the other hand, Alex Freeland only hit .116 in 43 ABs. He had just 5 hits, 2 doubles, and 1 home run, but the big deal was that he walked 11 times. The Dodgers value that much more than singles. Alex hit a few balls “right on the screws,” which were caught. He is a switch-hitter and hit .190 as a rookie. The Dodgers believe in him more than they believe in Kim. He is also more adept defensively than Kim, at more positions. It’s as simple as that! I think that as soon as Tommy Tanks returns, Kim could be traded. There are teams who would be all over him…. just not Friedman. In Friedman I trust!
Rants & Raves
- The Dodgers are ready!
- Tanner Scott is still questionable… very questionable.
- Blake Treinen was better and struck out three in his one inning!
- I think Teoscar and Andy are primed for good-to-very good seasons.
- Ronan Kopp will be a factor in the bullpen THIS YEAR… if he can stop the walks (he did last night).
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Discussion (74)
Disagree, not disagreeable
Game starts an hour early tonight. I expect Ohtani to pitch about three innings. I have checked the rosters and haven’t seen Root’s name at any of the affiliates yet. They show Tibbs III and Erhard at AA Tulsa. Only 3 outfielders listed at AAA. Sirota is ticketed for High A Great Lakes. Saw a video yesterday of the new ballpark in Ontario. Pretty impressive.
March 24, 2026, Lucas Giolito is reported to have signed a one-year, $6 million contract with the Atlanta Braves.
“Pitching depends heavily on adjustments, but Sasaki was unable to demonstrate this ability during Spring Training, which hurt his chances of proving he can adapt effectively. The righty may find something before his first start of the season on Monday, March 30, but if he doesn’t and his current form persists, Sasaki could be headed to the minors to work on his mechanics. While previously stubborn about staying in the major leagues, Sasaki has expressed openness to moving down if the organization feels it is best”. “If that’s the judgment, if that’s better, I think that’s fine,” Sasaki said in Japanese, per The California Post’s Dylan Hernandez. With an openness to building from the ground up, the Dodgers’ decision-making should be easier if he continues to flounder in the major league.”.
Nice read Watford!
Maybe it’s not that Sasaki is afraid to throw strikes, maybe he just can’t throw strikes! I watched him last night and I’m no expert on pitching, but he seems to have no confidence or command. There’s no way he can sustain any success with what we saw last night. The bullpen won’t survive him. Sure the front office is way smarter than us. BUT, a guy with bad eyesight can see he’s not major league caliber right now. Kim? A ticket to another ballpark seems to be the end result. I like him, but is he what the Dodgers thought he was when they signed him? He has every tool he needs to be successful, except possibly the hit tool. If he is only a singles hitter, he probably moves on. Teo looks so darn good it’s scary! Mookie looks like Mookie! Freddie looks healthy! Hold on people, another fantastic journey is about to begin!
On the eve of the Regular Season starting, a few observations and predictions. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen you strike out quite as spectacularly as your “Double Standard” Post. When I read that on Saturday evening after a few beers, I totally thought that Freeland had in fact been optioned to OKC, only to wake on Sunday morning to find that it must’ve been a drunken dream as Alex had made the Opening Day Roster and Kim was on his way to AAA. Had to reread to get some clarity. Anyway your sentiment was correct. On the Kim / Freeland debate, in my opinion, I think the deciding factor was Freelamd’s ability to get on base. I think AF wants a 9 hole hitter who can get on base and Freeland has that potential particularly with his ability to draw a walk, and Kim doesn’t, and strikes out way too much. They covet someone who can get on base ahead of Shohei and Kyle and Freeland is a much better bet. We’ll see plenty of Kim no doubt as the season unfolds. I don’t like the Sasaki situation and I’m amazed that AF would be held to ransom regarding Roki’s going to the Pen in exchange for a promise of a Starter job in 26. Everything about this is wrong. I hope his teammates are understanding of his selfishness? I can’t imagine Mookie, Freddie and the Senior or in fact anyone being happy with that news. Sets a very dangerous precedent. Do whatever you can to help the team with no questions asked. Very strange on both parties part. As for the upcoming season a couple of predictions. Tucker is in the MVP hunt. Everything I’ve seen of him suggests to me that he is gonna be a massive asset. His ABs are professional, reminiscent of Freddie when he first arrived, and he will make our formidable lineup that bit longer. He doesn’t chase. I think he’ll rub off on some of the other hitters. My other prediction is that we’ll be in the hunt for a top of the rotation Starter by the Trade Deadline. The only durable SP we have is Yamamoto and I’m concerned that his Herculean efforts of last Post Season might leave their mark. They did on Bumgarner after he carried SF to a WS win. Glasnow looks in fine form already but we all know that means little because the poor guy cannot stay healthy. Then there’s Shohei who is in a different position to last year at this time. He’s ready to go now, the question is how do you make him last till October? I’m not sure he’ll wanna be shut down and restarted later in the campaign. Sheehan is also a season removed from TJ so an innings count will be in place, and Stone is already on the IL. Then the big question mark. Snell. What do we make of this current situation? He’s had a whole winter to recover and yet his shoulder is still fatigued!! The same balky shoulder as last season. I’m not convinced. And then of course there’s Sasaki. Roki by name, Rocky by nature. He ain’t fooling anyone. He’s not a MLB Starting Pitcher currently. In summary, I’m really not that confident that come July we’ll have anything like what we need in SP to win a WS. We will be involved in a blockbuster. The good news is that a number of our plethora of Prospects had very good Spring Trainings and therefore we have some bullets to fire should we need to. Can’t wait for it all to start.
Sasaki might. heed a quote by the great Sandy Koufax; “I started striking out batters when I quit trying to strike them out.” I know I butchered the quote but I think people will understand what I was trying to converse.
I don’t think he can recover on the MLB level. This is serious!
You can’t have a meritocracy system for 39 guys and a different system for Roki. The Dodgers should know that. It’s not like he did enough last year to get the benefit of the doubt. I may disagree with choosing Freeland over Kim but there’s a minor league track record and some valid(and some bs) to sell that decision. There’s nothing for Roki other than the Dodgers gave him a few million less to sign with the Dodgers and in return they promised him a spot. The last thing the Dodgers need is to hear the boo-birds targeting one of their Japanese signees.
Pepiot is going to open the season on the IL. Cubs and Crow-Armstrong reportedly have agreed on an extension which has not yet been announced. RIP Valerie Perrine. Starred in Superman the Movie and Raging Bull. Passed away at age 82 from complications of Parkinsons.
The way he throws the splitter with almost no spin like a knuckleball he really has no control over where it goes. He needs to rely more on his fastball to get some strikes before throwing that that thing. Nobody is going to chase it if you don’t already have a strike.
Per Katie Woo: The organization has repeatedly stated it believes what’s best for Sasaki long-term is to adapt at the major-league level. But Sasaki has yet to show he can pitch effectively in a starter’s role, and his spring performance only brings more skepticism.
Just an exhibition game, but from what I saw, Sasaki is afraid to throw a pitch into the strike zone. 4 runs on just one hit? The team came back to tie though. Clutch hit in the 8th by Rushing. Bullpen pitched well.
He hasn’t heard from corporate yet. He had to contact them. The site maintenance guy has been unavailable and his phone is disconnected.
You are welcome. He is working on it as best he can.
He has a bug… evidently. Bear told me he is working on it. I don’t know if he is dealing with this, but the more popular a site becomes the more spam that flows in. I spend a couple of thousand dollars a year on Askimet Spam Filters. I just cleaned out mine today and there were 905 blocked spam comments since Saturday. I think he will be back up soon…
I’ve been following this site and ladodgerchronicals for years and depend on them very much. Since yesterday i haven’t been able to connect with Jeff’s site. All I get is a note saying “This site doesn’t exist.” Can anyone here shed some light on this for me?
I am sorry, but the way they are treating Sasaki is really “Little League Stuff.” Taking him out and bringing him back? His problem is that (1) he lacks a 3rd pitch, and (2) he can’t control his first two. He is fixated on being a starter, and I am fixated on looking like Brad Pitt, but you can’t always get what you want. I know that the Dodger Brass knows a lot more than we do, but you have to wonder, “How fragile is this guy’s psyche?”
Jack Harris @ByJackHarris Dave Roberts put a rough timeline on Blake Snell and Tommy Edman’s returns to action today, saying the Dodgers are hoping to get both back by the end of May.
Dodgers early season probables 3/26: Yoshinobu Yamamoto 3/27: Emmet Sheehan 3/28: Tyler Glasnow 3/29: Off day 3/30: Roki Sasaki 3/31: Shohei Ohtani 4/1: Yoshinobu Yamamoto 4/2: Off day 4/3: Emmet Sheehan 4/4: Tyler Glasnow 4/5: Roki Sasaki 4/6: Shohei Ohtani 4/7 Yoshinobu Yamamoto 4/8: Justin Wrobleksi* *Likely, or another spot starter The Dodgers should also get Blake Snell and Gavin Stone back later in the year, giving them even more quality rotation options.
Thx, Bear….
Sasaki was SASUCKI last night. His future starter status is in his hands alone.but the rope is shortening.
Nice report on Root and his roots. We have two dramas to follow now: Freeland v Kim and Roki v River. Roberts says that Kim will benefit from playing everyday in OKC, with reps at 2B, SS and CF. Freeland’s bat needs to show up. Walks are nice, but he should expect pitches in the zone batting ahead of Shohei.
Nice report on Root and his roots. We have two dramas to follow now: Freeland v Kim and Roki v River. Roberts says that Kim will benefit from playing everyday in OKC, with reps at 2B, SS and CF. Freeland’s bat needs to show up. Walks are nice, but he should expect pitches in the zone batting ahead of Shohei.
Base clogging? On what planet? Maybe Uranus… In reality, Alex has above-average speed and is an excellent baserunner. In his last three minor league seasons, he stole 31, 24, and 18 bases (last year in a partial season). It’s clear you are not a fan of Alex, as you said, “can suck from both sides of the plate.” I am going to submit your name as GM because obviously Brandon Gomes and Andrew Friedman don’t know what Jack does. They are dumbasses! Stay by the phone… Actually, the Kim situation falls under the category of “We don’t know what we don’t know.” There is more to this story than what we have heard. Kim did something (or didn’t do something) that has helped create this situation. Remember when Yasiel Puig hit .517, with 5 HR and 13 RBI with a 1.103 SLG. We all wondered why he didn’t make the team with the eye-popping numbers, and it turned out he was an obnoxious jackass who rubbed most of his teammates the wrong way. There’s more to the Kim story than we know right now and I am not saying he’s Puig, Jr., but there is something….