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).
More from Dodger Talk
Dodgers Food Trailer
I did this interview a couple of weeks ago with Chef Mike, who runs the Dodgers Food Trailer for the Great Lakes Loons. They are there for every home and road regular season and playoff game. They prepare three meals a day for approximately 50 people (players and coaches). Since games end late most evenings, they do not prepare breakfast. Many of their hotels have a complimentary breakfast anyway. However,…
Meet LAD 2026 Draft Picks 1-12
3 picks were High School players (2 SS and 1 OF). There was a college OF, college catcher, college SS, and 10 college pitchers. Of all the talk for a need for a catcher, the only catcher the Dodgers selected was Luke Bard, son of LAD bullpen coach Josh Bard. Bard was a 4th year senior from Houston Christian University. He is not a prospect, so the Dodgers are still…
Interview with Paul Beachy – Team Bus Driver For The Great Lakes Loons (LA Dodgers Minor League Team)
It’s been a few days since I did this interview. We have evidently been working my son-in-law (the video guy) like a rented mule at US Water Systems. However, I am taking him to London with me in a few days, so maybe Watford will buy him a pint as a tip, but he’s a dang Red Sox fan, so there is that! I thought that it would be interesting…
Thanks for Your Service: Chris Taylor
I was going to do this post when Chris announced he was retiring, then he changed his mind, but since the chances of him ever playing for the Dodgers again are slim and non-existent, I will go ahead with this post. He unretired, went on the IL, then decided to call it quits on May 24th. Taylor was born in Virginia Beach VA on August 29th, 1990. He attended Great…
Discussion (74)
Disagree, not disagreeable
“An unsigned Shohei Ohtani game-used 2026 World Baseball Classic jersey sold for just north of $1.5 million Sunday night via MLB Auctions, shattering the previous high public sale of an Ohtani jersey, autographed with “24 NL MVP,” which was $249,999 in 2025 on Fanatics. While Sunday’s sale did not come close to matching the price of other jerseys — Babe Ruth’s “called shot” jersey from the 1932 World Series went for $24.12 million in 2024, or Jackie Robinson and Mickey Mantle (both more than $4 million) — it does raise the bar for future game-used Ohtani jersey sales from a major MLB event to perhaps match or eclipse Robinson and Mantle”.
Get off my nuts
I have Sasaki at 1.2 IP tonight. You want the “over” or “under?”
Who had 0.0?
My “old ass eyes” will always trump fans who see with their hearts. I would love for Roki to succeed, but if it’s as a starter, he needs to go to OKC… for a while. Sorry if my amateur psychology offends you, but… SCOREBOARD!
0.0? I did not even expect that!
You could tell Roberts didn’t like it. They didn’t get much of a chance to play him in CF during ST. Mark can poo poo his singles but he did have a higher avg. exit velocity than Freeland this spring. To say Freeland hit a couple on the screws. Well, what would that have done brought his .Avg up to .190? It’s still a small sample size and I will be rooting for Freeland but if they’re batting him ninth then he better get more aggressive on pitches in the zone. It’s great to imagine a bunch of walks to a hitter batting before Ohtani but I guarantee the opponents will be peppering the K zone for our number 9 hitters. At least that will be the game plan. Hopefully, Freeland is up to the challenge. I like his story too, but I think the Dodgers have done Kim a little dirty.
Roki is frail mentally which surprises me after all we heard about him coming out of Japan. He looks like a deer caught in the headlights. How they’re handing him a rotation spot is wrong at this point. Roki should be the one going to AAA. They can’t afford to have Wrobleski ready to piggyback Ohtani when Roki can’t throw an inning potentially and if anyone thinks he’s going five in his first turn they are high. I get they want to protect Ryan but they can do that in LA just as much as in OKC when the alternative is 50/50 to get out of inning one.
Be prepared to be verbally assaulted by people who think calling out bad pitching by Sasaki makes you a bad person. They called me bad names – I am so hurt and confused! 😉 F-em and the horse…
Roki belongs in OKC.
Do they want him?
Of course they can afford to have Sasaki start for three to four weeks. They are playing the long game, while everyone here is thinking short term.
When was the last time a starter made the opening day rotation with a spring era of 15.58? I hope Ryan didn’t give up his LA apartment.
The only starts Roki should make are bullpen games. Where to go from here? I’m sure he’ll fit in a tad further down on -but starting isn’t in his element right now.
I hope he doesn’t throw himself on a sword tonight.
Sure, they want the good Roki.
I have never been accused of being short-sighted.
For the record: I think Roki has a bright future. Hopefully, as a starter… Absolutely as a reliever!
I recently bought a sword… for my wife. Several years ago, she bought a complete Samari costume in a statue. However, the sword was crap. For X-Mas this year, I bought her a real Samari sword: https://www.swordsofnorthshire.com/collections/samurai-swords She said it was her best present ever. P.S. If I die by the sword, please report it. 😉
I have three katana type swords none of which are antique. I used to have a nice collection. The nicest and most valuable was a 1831 Spanish sword that when holding it you could feel it’s battle usage’. It was taken from me along with my Grandfather’s WW1 US Calvary sword and I went to prison because I couldn’t own weapons on probation. I never saw the items again. And that wasn’t nearly the worse of it.
Roki was signed to a minor league contract. For now that’s where he belongs. The Dodgers may have made a promise to him or his agent to have him in the rotation because I can’t think of a single reason to start him in the majors. He actually looks worse than this time last year. It wouldn’t be good for the Dodgers or Roki to prolong this at the major league level. No command of fastball and trying to develop a third pitch at the same time isn’t something they should be trying to overcome at the big league level.
No question, Freeland is probably the next Michael Conforto if he can just get his BA up a tad. Walks don’t make a hitter or drive in runs. That said, someone is going to have to replace Max at 3B in the next year or two. Just don’t see Freeland being that guy. Obviously, Morales is the future hot infielder or AF the Great will have to buy one. I just hope the decision doesn’t destroy Kim’s confidence, not that the Dodgers care like they do about Saski’s. But you’re right Mark, there are probably 28 GMs out there who would grab Kim in a heartbeat.
Total agree Hawkeye. Speed and defense should trump walks from a guy with Muncy level base-clogging ability. The only advantage that Freeland has is he can suck from both sides of the plate. If anyone should have a chip on his shoulder, it’s Kim. Plenty of GMs will be calling.
Total agree Hawkeye. Speed and defense should trump walks from a guy with Muncy level base-clogging ability. The only advantage that Freeland has is he can suck from both sides of the plate. If anyone should have a chip on his shoulder, it’s Kim.
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….