Dodgers' top 2025 pick's pro debut? 8 K's in 3 scoreless innings

Zach Root, welcome to pro ball.

The left-hander, who's rated as the Dodgers' No. 13 prospect per MLB Pipeline, was one of the top performers in Saturday night's 11-10 win over the White Sox prospects at Camelback Ranch. L.A.'s top pick in last year's Draft, Root struck out eight of the 10 hitters he faced across three near-perfect innings in his professional debut.

Root did not pitch in an affiliated game after being selected with the 40th overall pick, but he has the potential to be a fast riser in the Dodgers' system. Earlier this year, MLB Pipeline named him as a possibility to make the Top 100 prospects list in the near future, and his Spring Breakout performance only solidified that.

In a contest where White Sox and Dodgers pitchers combined to issue 27 walks and the offenses ran wild, Root was not only in the zone, but almost untouchable. He faced just one over the minimum, only giving up a base hit to Braden Montgomery in the sixth inning.

Three of Root's strikeouts came on his curveball, which Root cited as a key pitch for his development when he was drafted last year.

"The last two years, I wasn't able really to throw a curveball for a strike very consistently. And it was just easier for hitters to sit on different pitches," Root said last July. "Being able to throw the curveball in the zone all the time really helped them have to sit on another pitch in any count."

Pitching is not the strength of the Dodgers' farm system, but they do have some intriguing arms in the pipeline, Root among them. If he can build off his first pro outing, he could turn some heads in his first full season in the organization.

Here are two other top Dodgers standouts from Spring Breakout:

OF/1B James Tibbs III (Dodgers' No. 11 prospect)

Tibbs had an extended run in Dodgers camp this spring, and he really impressed the big league club, with manager Dave Roberts describing him as a "championship-type player." Tibbs kept that going in Spring Breakout, hitting a three-run homer off Nick Weyrich in the second inning.

After being traded twice in the past year -- first in the Rafael Devers trade between the Giants and Red Sox, then in the Deadline deal that sent Dustin May to Boston -- Tibbs has thrived in his time in the Dodgers' organization. He ended last year in Double-A, and he feels like a candidate to make his big league debut this year if L.A. finds itself in need of outfield reinforcements.

The Dodgers' outfield is crowded in the near future, but Tibbs can certainly play himself into the mix.

“Obviously, you look around this room, and there are ridiculous amounts of talent in the outfield,” Tibbs told MLB Pipeline's Jesse Borek earlier in Spring Training. “But I've always played with a little bit of a chip on my shoulder. Like, ‘Hey, I'm here to win, I'm here to show you why I belong,’ and for me, [the competition is] just another stepping stone.”

OF Mike Sirota (No. 60 overall prospect, Dodgers' No. 4)

When the Dodgers traded Gavin Lux to the Reds ahead of the 2025 season, they received plenty of upside in return. They got the Competitive Balance Round A pick that allowed them to draft Charles Davalan -- Root's former Arkansas teammate -- in addition to Sirota, whom they had drafted but failed to sign out of high school four years prior.

Sirota's first professional season opened some eyes around the organization, although it ended prematurely in July due to a right knee injury. He picked up a pair of knocks and drove in two runs in Spring Breakout, after also impressing in a limited sample of big league spring games. Sirota has the potential to put together a huge year if he's able to stay on the field all season.

"He's twitchy, athletic," Roberts said. "It's hard to come up here and just get a hit, but still try to put together good at-bats. So really good to see him. … Obviously, the guys that we have are good, but there's a lot of young guys on the come, which is pretty exciting."

As successful as they've been in the present day, the future sure looks bright for the Dodgers.