SAN FRANCISCO — Zach Root and Charles Davalan helped take Arkansas to the semifinals of the Faculty World Sequence earlier this yr. Now, they will be teammates as soon as extra within the group of MLB’s reigning champions.
2025 MLB Draft introduced by Nike
Day 1 (Rounds 1-3): Choose-by-pick evaluation
Day 2 (Rounds 4-20): Monday, 11:30 a.m. ET (MLB.com, MLB.TV)
The Dodgers on Sunday chosen left-handed pitcher Root with the fortieth general choose within the 2025 MLB Draft, then took outfielder Davalan at No. 41. Given their familiarity, who higher to offer preliminary scouting studies on the most recent members of the group than one another?
Davalan on Root: “I assume I will must reside with him a pair extra years. However no, he is superior. He is form of an old-school pitcher, too. He is acquired plenty of completely different pitches, sinkerballer. He is acquired a cutter, a slider, actually stuffed the zones up good, however he can nonetheless get his punchouts when he must get out of the jam.”
Root on Davalan: “I imply, he is certainly one of my finest pals due to Arkansas. He is a extremely nice dude. And so far as scouting studies go, he is among the best hitters within the Draft class, I feel. Getting him at choose 41 is only a huge steal for the Dodgers.”
COMPLETE DODGERS PROSPECT COVERAGE
Root was ranked as MLB Pipeline’s No. 42 Draft prospect. He pitched for East Carolina in his first two school seasons earlier than transferring to Arkansas, the place he took over for Hagen Smith — who was the fifth general choice in final yr’s Draft — because the Friday evening starter.
In his junior season, Root went 9-6 and posted a 3.62 ERA throughout 19 begins for the Razorbacks. He struck out 126 throughout 99 1/3 innings, which ranked fifth amongst Division 1 pitchers. He was a Third Workforce All-American and made the All-SEC First Workforce.
The Fort Myers, Fla., native stated the Dodgers had been his favourite group rising up due to a fellow southpaw.
“Rising up, my dad all the time made me watch [Clayton] Kershaw and be taught to pitch like him,” Root stated. “So I’ve simply been watching Dodger baseball ever since I can bear in mind due to Kershaw.”
Root prides himself on being a pitcher slightly than a thrower. He hits 97 mph together with his fastball, however his secondary choices — notably his changeup and curveball — are what makes him a tricky at-bat.
Davalan ranked because the No. 54 Draft prospect. He additionally transferred to Arkansas this previous collegiate season and hit .346 with a .994 OPS, 14 homers and 60 RBIs en path to being named a Second Workforce All-American and First Workforce All-SEC. The left-handed hitter struck out solely 27 occasions in 317 plate appearances.
Born in Waterloo, Ontario, and raised in Montreal, Davalan performed his senior yr of highschool in Florida after his household moved to offer him a greater shot at being recruited. His lone D-1 supply was from Florida Gulf Coast, the place he posted a .927 OPS in his freshman yr.
Arkansas is the place Davalan — who describes himself as “hard-nosed” and “old-school” — turned thinking about analytics, which he primarily makes use of to check opposing pitchers.
“With TrackMan and plenty of metrics like that,” Davalan stated, “you be taught to know the way their pitch goes to maneuver, even earlier than you are within the field. So I studied so much within the video room we had at Arkansas, and simply figuring out what the pitchers are going to throw, how a lot it is transferring, if it is acquired journey, sink, is it sweeping, or is it form of extra of a gyro.”
The Dodgers’ first choice didn’t come till Aggressive Stability Spherical A as a result of they exceeded the second Aggressive Stability Tax surcharge threshold, so their prime choose was moved again 10 spots. They acquired the No. 41 choose together with outfield prospect Mike Sirota within the offseason commerce that despatched Gavin Lux to the Reds.
Listed below are the Dodgers’ different picks from Day 1 of the Draft:
