2025 Draft Prospect - LHP - Zach Root - Arkansas

 

https://www.prospectslive.com/prospects-live/2024/11/7/2025-mlb-draft-top-sec-prospects-part-2  -

LHP Zach Root - Arkansas

Prospects Live Ranking: #46

Zach Root enjoyed a breakout campaign as a sophomore for the ECU Pirates in 2024, teaming up with Trey Yesavage to create a lethal 1-2 punch atop Coach Cliff Godwin’s weekend rotation. In 11 starts last season for ECU, Root went 5-2 with a 3.82 ERA with 69 strikeouts over 63.2 innings pitched. He’ll make the jump in competition to the SEC, where he’ll join an Arkansas program known for developing top-class pitching. The stocky southpaw has a bit of a funky delivery, but has elite off-speed stuff. His fastball sits in the low 90s and can get up to 97, but the changeup is elite with good command. He also has a mid-80s cutter/slider combo and an upper 70s curveball. If Arkansas can continue to help Root develop those potential plus secondaries and improve his command, Root could find himself flirting with the first round next July.

 

https://ecupirates.com/sports/baseball/roster/zach-root/12890 -

· 2024 Preseason All-AAC Team (AAC Coaches/Perfect Game)

· 2024 Top 150 Starting Pitchers - No. 54 (D1Baseball)

· No. 93 On 2024 Top 100 Sophomores List (Perfect Game)

· No. 122 Overall Prospect For 2025 MLB First Year Player Draft (Perfect Game)

· No. 23 Collegiate Prospect For 2025 MLB First Year Player Draft (D1Baseball)

· No. 1 AAC Prospect For 2025 MLB First Year Player Draft (D1Baseball)

· No. 2 AAC Prospect For 2025 MLB First Year Player Draft (Perfect Game)

· 2023 American Athletic Conference All-Freshman Team Selection

· 2023 Perfect Game Top 100 Freshmen Selection

2023: Appeared in 20 games with 13 starts ... Compiled a 3-3 record with a 5.33 earned run average and 54 strikeouts against 27 walks in 53.2 innings of work ... Limited opposing hitters to a .254 batting average ... Notched multiple strikeouts in 12 contests ... Recorded victories over George Washington (Feb. 18), Elon (March 8) and Old Dominion (April 11) ... Turned in a superb start in the NCAA Charlottesville Regional finals against No. 7 national seed at host Virginia, allowing just one earned run and five hits in 4.2 innings of work ... Combined with Trey Yesavage and Wyatt Lunsford-Shenkman to post a 3-0 shutout of Missouri State (March 17) ... Registered a career-high six strikeouts twice against Tulane (April 29 and May 28) ... Collected his first collegiate save in East Carolina’s 6-5 home win over North Carolina (Feb. 24) in front of a Clark-LeClair Stadium record crowd of 6,003 ... Produced a key three-inning relief effort in helping the Pirates to a 13-9 win over NC State (April 4) in Greenville ... 2023 Summer: Suited up for the Charlottesville Tom Sox of the Valley League ... Posted a 2-0 record with 22 strikeouts against six walks in 18.0 innings of work ... Held opposing hitters to a .239 batting average against ... Tallied 11 strikeouts per nine innings ... Notched a season-high seven strikeouts against the Culpeper Cavaliers (July 12).

 

https://www.wholehogsports.com/news/2024/jul/01/arkansas-gains-transfer-commitment-from-east-carolina-left-handed-pitcher-zach-root/ -

Zach Root, a transfer left-handed pitcher from East Carolina, announced his commitment to Arkansas baseball Monday.

Root, a rising junior, announced his decision on social media, writing, "My next chapter."

He was a leading candidate to be East Carolina’s staff ace next season before he entered the NCAA transfer portal June 5.

Root had a 6-2 record for the Pirates this past season with a 3.56 ERA in 68 1/3 innings. He had a 3.62 strikeout-to-walk ratio with 76 strikeouts against 21 walks.

On3.com rated him the No. 4 available player and the top pitcher. Baseball America rated Root the No. 10 available transfer.

Arkansas has added two of the top left-handed pitchers in the transfer portal. Baseball America rated Ohio State transfer Landon Beidelschies, who committed June 24 to the Razorbacks, the top lefty available and Root as the third best.

Root is considered to be among the top left-handers available for the 2025 MLB Draft.

Baseball America writer Peter Flaherty analyzed Root’s pitching, writing, “His changeup is a plus pitch that gets solid separation off his fastball and flashes ample fade and late tumble, while his above-average slider-especially against left-handed hitters-is long and sweepy with a bit of depth. He could be a big-time program's ‘major splash’ of this year's transfer cycle.”

Root, a native of Fort Myers, Fla., started 12 games and had 13 appearances in 2024. He limited hitters to 56 hits and a .228 batting average.

He was utilized this past season as a Saturday starter for the Pirates. Root dealt with an arm injury during the season’s second half before he returned for the postseason.

During the NCAA Greenville Regional, he pitched twice against Evansville. During the first outing he threw 75 pitches and allowed 2 runs across 5 innings, then in the regional final he threw 61 pitches and allowed 4 runs on 6 hits.