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).
Same old Tanner Scott as last year. Nothing has changed after last night’s horrid performance. There was absolutely no pressure on him with the large lead the Dodgers had and he failed to perform. The bullpen overall looks weak.
I think the pen will be fine… maybe not right away!
If only half of the arms pan out, they will be fine. I am not giving up on Scott… yet!
Give the man a mop.
& Root just burst up the prospect charts with that performance.
Ferris, Root, Zazueta, Serwinowski, Copen
We’re all rooting for Root!!!!!!
From The Athletic:
“But the decision, Roberts said, came down to the quality of at-bats over stats and production, and ensuring everyday reps for Kim as he works through several mechanical changes — something he wasn’t able to do while away from the team.
“The driver, as far as at the outset, was giving Hyeseong an opportunity to play every day, play all over the diamond,” the manager said Sunday afternoon ahead of the Dodgers’ exhibition game against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium.
“He’s gonna play some short, some center, some second base (at Triple A). Whereas here, he just wouldn’t have the runway to do that, to play more frequently. (Kim) is an excellent, elite second baseman. But to continue to get at-bats, the versatility piece, the opportunity to do that, he wouldn’t be really getting that here.”
Still, opting for Freeland was a surprising move given how things appeared at the start of spring. When the Dodgers announced Tommy Edman would start the season on the injured list, it seemed to open the door for a starting role for Kim, providing him with consistent big-league at-bats for the first time. Roberts was encouraged by how Kim’s first week of games went but acknowledged the mechanics were off while Kim played in the WBC.
Freeland’s results were hardly better, but the organization believes the overall quality of his at-bats, specifically the chase rate, was improved over Kim’s.
“With Alex, the at-bat quality has been fine,” Roberts said. “He didn’t finish off at-bats, but I do think the process was right, and that’s something we’re willing to bet on.”
“There’s nothing left for (Freeland) to prove there,” Roberts added. “So I think for us to give him a little bit of runway, to see what we got in him, to give him an opportunity to play here for us against right-handed pitching.”
The Dodgers will use a traditional platoon at second base, with Freeland starting against righties and Miguel Rojas against lefties. Santiago Espinal, a non-roster invite who earned his way onto the Opening Day roster after a stellar spring, will serve as depth options at third and first base.
I thought any rest Freddie agreed to (that won’t be easy) would go to rushing to get him as many MLB at bats this year as possible. Would they really start Espinal over rushing?
Maybe a couple of games…
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.
Just in case some of you have tried to get onto Jeff’s site, for some reason, and he is checking into it, the site comes up as not existing. He is trying to get in touch with his tech. So far, no response.
Thx, Bear….
You are welcome. He is working on it as best he can.
Nice win last night. Teo looked totally ready for the season to begin. Glasnow looked really good too. Yeah, Scott gave up a homer, but the error by the kid third baseman made it worse than it would have been, Muncy would have made that play.
in my opinion,Kim made a huge mistake by going and playing in the WBC and that factored into the Dodger’s decision to send him to Oklahoma City.
Totally agree with that.
I can’t wait for the season to start.
Yep
And we called him on it
I don’t think it would have changed anything.
Freeland is just more fundamentally sound than Kim.
Kim may ultimately become a better player, but Freeland has more value to the Dodgers now.
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.
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.
Lux will begin the season on the IL with a shoulder impingement.
Bummer
Austin Barnes cut by the Mets.
I hope both Barnes and CT3 will realize that their time has come to an end.
And I hope that Andrew reaches out to both of them to offer them spots in the organization. They would both certainly have something to contribute. They were always team-first guys.
Inner inner circle Dodgers:
Taylor
Barnes
Turner
Muncy
Keekay
WTF are we talking about here??!!?!??
What does inner inner mean?
No Smith? Betts? Kershaw? Trienen? Phillips? Kenley?
Inner circle of Junkyard Dogs.
LOL!
Get off my nuts
Well, here’s the deal:
You have guys like Miggy Ro, who are true leaders with a high baseball IQ, and then you have guys like CT3 and Barnsie, who are guys you would go to war with, but they are not teachers, and (no offense to them), but they are not “brainiacs.” They were always team-first guys.
I think JT will be back, however!
Barnes? DFA?
Shocker!!!!
Who knew?
9:10 PM ET
Angels (72-90) (16-15))
Dodgers (93-69) (20-8)
SP Reid Detmers L
0-0 .00 ERA.
SP Roki Sasaki R
0-0 .00 ERA
Confirmed Lineup
DH S. Ohtani L
RF Kyle Tucker L
SS Mookie Betts R
C Will Smith R
1B F. Freeman L
LF T. Hernandez R
3B S. Espinal R
CF Andy Pages R
2B Miguel Rojas R
74° Wind 7 mph Out
“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”.
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!
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…
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.
I have never been accused of being short-sighted.
Roki belongs in OKC.
Do they want him?
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.
Sure, they want the good Roki.
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.
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. 😉
For the record:
I think Roki has a bright future.
Hopefully, as a starter…
Absolutely as a reliever!
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.
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….
Sasaki was SASUCKI last night. His future starter status is in his hands alone.but the rope is shortening.
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.
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.
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?”
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?
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…
He hasn’t heard from corporate yet. He had to contact them. The site maintenance guy has been unavailable and his phone is disconnected.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
I don’t think he can recover on the MLB level. This is serious!
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.
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.
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!
“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.”.
March 24, 2026, Lucas Giolito is reported to have signed a one-year, $6 million contract with the Atlanta Braves.
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.