Zach Dezenzo
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| Photo: Chris Coduto/ MLB Network via Getty Images |
Bio:
Age: 23
Height: 6'5"
Weight: 220 lbs.
Bats/Throws: Right/Right
Hometown: Canton, Ohio
Draft Profile: 12nd round, 40th pick of the 2022 draft by Houston Astros
Drafted Out of: Ohio State University
Career Stat Line: .293 AVG .374 OBP 22 HR 76 RBI 26 SB 0.948 Fielding %
Canton, Ohio may be best known for it's ties to the National Football League, but it's also a city that's produced over a dozen professional baseball players. This week's spotlight, Zach Dezenzo, is looking to add to that list.
Having a father and uncle with roots in the game, it was only natural for Dezenzo to take to the sport (The Alliance Review). While not quite on the radar of any Team USA national squads growing up, it was apparent early on that the kid had the potential to develop into an outstanding player. With a 6'3" frame and room to fill out, the Prep Baseball Top Prospect Game invitee was easy to project this vision onto.
Marlington High School in Alliance, Ohio was where Zach really put himself on the map. The everyday shortstop was a varsity letterman all four years for the Dukes, really emerging onto the scene after his sophomore season. "A toolsy player that is starting to make a name for himself as one of the top prospects in the 2018 class. Took an impressive batting practice and drove balls to the gap with authority," wrote Nathan Rode for Prep Baseball report. "Has a 3B profile with good, quick hands and a big arm. He will need to improve footwork to stick at SS" (Prep Baseball Report).
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| Photo: Ray Stewart/ Canton Rep |
By 2017, he had committed to Ohio State University, keeping his talents in the state he'd always resided. Despite the large frame and power potential, Dezenzo only managed two long balls in his four years prep ball. Buckeyes' head coach Greg Beals saw much greater upside though. "He’s got great leverage and that leverage should play out into some power,” said Beals. “… I think there is the element that he was tall before he was strong. Those long levers weren’t really strong yet" (Canton Rep). Unfortunately, despite an extensive search, I was unable to find his high school statistics anywhere, but would happily welcome a plug to update here from a knowledgeable source!
By the beginning of his career at Columbus, Coach Beal's words about Zach's strength could no longer ring true. A semester in a college workout regiment fostered 20 pounds of growth, priming him for a breakout. The freshman delivered, knocking out 10 home runs in his 58 games-- not eye popping power numbers, but a noticeable jump from his high school totals (Baseball Reference). His .250 average and 4:1 K:BB rate showed room to improve, which was completely expected for a first year college player.
The pandemic cut the Buckeyes' season short in 2020, limiting Dezenzo to a fraction of his expected on-field experience. You wouldn't know it though with how he came out the next year. The junior was busy honing his craft with all the down time COVID afforded, and the hard work paid off. He posted a .302/9/31 line at the dish, playing in just 42 games for the premier program. He also got some work in at first base and in left field, intended to put his versatility on display and help draft status.
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| Photo: Ohio StateBASE/ Twitter |
After a really impressive summer playing for Frederick in the MLB Draft League, hitting .339, 6 dingers and driving in 18 in just 14 games, Zach entered what would be his final season in the Scarlet and Gray. He failed to disappoint. Despite playing in only 51 games, the senior posted career highs in virtually every statistic: 19 home runs, 56 RBI, .319/.413/.701 slashes, an OPS of 1.114, and most importantly, cutting his strikeout-to-walk rate below 2:1.
MLB scouts took notice, with some ranking the Buckeye as high as 201 on their boards. His projectability, pop and versatility were appealing, but many wondered what his ultimate position would be, or why he didn't hit better against Big Ten pitching?
Then came draft weekend, an anxious wait to see where his future would take him. Days one and two passed with no news, but the third day, in the 12th round, Houston came calling! The Astros liked what they saw in the kid and made him the 373rd selection of the 2022 MLB Draft, making him the first Ohio State position player taken since Dillon Dingler (Columbus Dispatch). Despite having an additional year of eligibility, the 22-year old felt it would be in his best interest to take his shot at the pros sooner than later, agreeing to a $125,000 signing bonus before shipping off for the short season.
The freshly inked prospect skipped rookie ball, instead getting immediately assigned to Class-A Fayetteville. Despite mainly playing short in college, Dezenzo has yet to actually play the position professionally, being primarily featured at third base for 15 of his 27 games as a Woodpecker. He hit .255 with 4 long balls and 15 RBI during the short stint (MiLB.com)-- an encouraging transition as his competition ramped up.
2023 started off with a bang for the former Buckeye. Houston moved their ascending prospect up to High-A Ashville for the first month and a half of the campaign, where he dominated opposing pitching, en route to slashing .407/.474/.628 with 4 homers and 20 batted in. The organization understandably promoted Zach to AA Corpus Christi for the remainder of the season, where he posted a .257/14/41 line in 63 games. The strikeouts were still a bit of an issue, but the third baseman was walking at a decent enough rate to offset it some. Going 22-24 on stolen base attempts was another promising development as well.
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| Photo: Corpus Christi Hooks |
Unfortunately, we've yet to see the Astros' #5 prospect in action so far in 2024, as he's been on the injured list since the beginning of April with a wrist injury that he suffered during spring training. When he does return though, we anticipate he'll still be with the Hooks at the AA level, at least until he gets his footing.
From there, lookout-- this fast riser could easily be warranting some big league looks by fall if he comes out as sharp as he did in 2023. And we have no reason to think that he won't.
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@Choppinglines
*I own no rights to any images found in this blog
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