Zach Root - Prospect Profile

MLB.com - July 1st: "Root employs his fastball only about a third of the time, operating at 91-94 mph and reaching 97 with sink that creates ground-ball contact. His most effective offering is an 83-85 mph changeup with fade, and his low-80s curveball gives him a second plus pitch."

Keith Law - The Athletic - July 1st: "The transfer from East Carolina has a true five-pitch mix, with a cutter and slider in his arsenal as well, and as a result he can work away from the fastball more than most pitchers, throwing it 37 percent of the time this season — and that might still be too often, given the amount of hard contact he allows on it. He’s been up to 98 and sits 93-95, but the pitch is very straight and he tries to live with it middle-up, whether in or out of the zone."

Baseball America - June 25th: "He has a deep arsenal and impressive feel to land his secondaries. He added a tick of velocity to his fastball in 2025 and sits around 93 mph but will touch 98. The fastball has never been a consistent swing-and-miss pitch for Root. Instead he goes to curveball, changeup and slider to miss barrels."

Tyler Jennings - Just Baseball - March 24th: "The fastball is rather generic and won’t miss a ton of bats in the future, though he’s already been up to 97 MPH and has sat in the low-90s consistently. Root’s change-up is a potential plus pitch with advanced feel and command of the offering."

Keith Law - The Athletic - March 4th: "He walked just 7.6 percent of batters he faced last year with the Pirates, and is off to a similar start this year for the Hogs. It’s an unusual delivery but he repeats it very well."

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