Riverdale alum Carson Palmquist, Fort Myers product Zach Root to take part in 2022 MLB Draft Combine
Two locals are set to make history this week in Southern California.
Fort Myers High product Zach Root and Riverdale alum Carson Palmquist, now with Miami, will become the first Southwest Florida products to take part in the MLB Combine, which started last year. Florida SouthWestern State College lefty Alex Ayala took part in the combine last year and was selected in the ninth round by the Tampa Bay Rays.
This year's combine will be held at Petco Park in San Diego from June 14-20, after moving from Cary, N.C. in 2021.
Root and Palmquist have at least two things in common. Besides being invited to the combine, Palmquist won The News-Press Baseball Player of the Year in 2019, while Root won the Southwest Florida Baseball Player of the Year in 2022. The News-Press and the Naples Daily News started announcing one award between Lee and Collier counties starting in the 2020-21 school year.
"It's crazy," Root said. "It was good to get that email saying I've been invited to it (the combine)."
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Root, committed to East Carolina, had a dominant senior season on the hill, finishing with a 6-2 record and a 1.50 ERA, where he struck out 96 batters (13.09 K/7 ratio) across 51 1/3 innings while surrendering just two extra-base hits all year. Of his 96 strikeouts, 65 of them came against teams that advanced to the postseason in their respective classifications.
"Getting invited to the combine is obviously a big deal for both of us," Fort Myers coach Kyle Burchfield said. "But in particular, it's just a sign for him that the hard work and the years and years and years of dedication and hours are paying off, and it's showing that.
"Only a handful of kids in the entire country get invited to this. It's not something that anyone can show up for. It's for true, legitimate ballplayers that have a real shot at making it to professional baseball."
Palmquist, who was selected to the All-ACC First Team for the second straight year, was 9-4 as a starter with a 2.89 ERA for the Hurricanes with 118 strikeouts, the most by a Cane since 2005. Opponents hit just .221 against Palmquist, who also had a WHIP of 1.21. Those were the lowest in both categories among the starting rotation.
The 2019 Riverdale graduate, who could not be reached for comment, is ranked as the 82nd best draft prospect on MLB.com and is primed to become the latest local to be selected inside the first five rounds since Shane McClanahan went in the first round in 2018. McClanahan (7-2, 1.87 ERA, 98 K's in 72 1/3 IP) is a frontrunner for the American League Cy Young.
Don't expect to see Root pitch to batters in San Diego, though. He made the decision following consultation with his agent, the coaching staff at East Carolina, and his family.
"I'm excited to get out there and talk to the teams, see who's all interested," Root added. "I'm ready to give it all I've got and show that I belong and why I was picked to be one of the top prospects to go there.
"We elected not to play in the games because they've already seen me pitch all year, and why risk getting hurt in that spot."
The draft is being held from July 17-19 this year, much later than previous drafts. Usually, the draft is held either the first or second week of June, which has affected things to a degree for Root and his thought process.
"Going to the combine, I'll get a couple of vibes from there," Root said. "Then going to ECU this summer, I'll definitely see which way I'm leaning towards when the draft rolls around.
"It definitely has affected things. It's been difficult because it's later and messes some things up, but I'll get what I need to see from both the combine and ECU."
Burchfield, who is also an area scout for the Atlanta Braves, touched on the difficulties Root mentioned but also shined a light on the fact that the round you're picked in doesn't matter much anymore. It's down to two things: money, and whether or not high school draft picks choose to sign contracts. If they don't, that frees up more money for clubs to spend on other draft picks.
"The nice thing with his situation is that he's going to one of the most elite baseball schools in the entire country in East Carolina," Burchfield said. "He's got a great chance for success going there. He is one of those few high schoolers that potentially, depending on money, depending on what he wants to do and what his family decides, the professional route out of high school is a possibility.
"... It's nice to get drafted high, but what really matters is the money for high school kids. A lot of these kids who are getting drafted out of high school, they're going to the top college teams in the country. It comes down to the dollar."
Follow Southwest Florida Sports Writer Alex Martin on Twitter: @NP_AlexMartin. For the best sports coverage in Southwest Florida, follow @newspresssports and @ndnprepzone on Instagram.
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: MLB Draft Combine 2022 participants include Zach Root, Carson Palmquist
