Zach Penrod is a left-handed pitcher in the Dodgers organization who has traveled a long and winding road to get to where he’s at. His road started in Idaho, wound its way to Oregon, back to Idaho, to independent ball, then to Boston, and now with the Dodgers.
It’s a story that needs to be told, one of perseverance and a young man who, in the face of every negative odd, continued to believe in and bet on himself. That young man’s name is Zach Penrod, and he’s good, and he’s ready to make an impact.
So, when asked how someone goes from Idaho to the Major Leagues, Penrod didn’t mince words.
It took a while and took a lot of determination, and maybe my being too dumb to give up in a lot of senses.
So lets unwind this thing, one step at a time.
The Road
Penrod went to Corban University out of High School, which is NAIA, as a 2-way player, and with the intent to become a Major Leaguer as an outfielder. He liked it and the people there, and it was a good place to get his feet underneath him, but he started pitching again after his Sophomore year, then decided to transfer back home to Northwest Nazarene, a DII school in his hometown of Nampa.
Penrod always liked the program at Northwest Nazarene, and wanted to go there out of High School, but didn’t get the offer he wanted, so he was excited that the situation came full circle. They were going to have him play 1st base and pitch, and that only lasted a couple of months before he was back in the outfield.
He started closing out games and hitting in the 3-hole, and he was having a lot of fun playing baseball.
After his career at Northwest Nazarene, he went undrafted and signed as a Free Agent with Texas where he spent the next couple of years. Then Covid hit, then he got cut, then he spent the next 3 years in Indy ball with several different organizations.
Penrod played 2021 with Boise, an independent team in his own backyard. He enjoyed that experience because he got to play baseball and stay at home, so, as he put it, he had the best of all worlds.
He was putting a lot of pressure on himself because he felt like he needed to get picked up by someone back in affiliated ball, so things kept spiraling, he couldn’t quite figure it out, so he went back to Boise for 2022.
That year he got traded to Billings to give him a chance to pitch in the playoffs so he could get seen. He finished the rest of that year with Billings, then signed the next year with Ottawa, then got traded to Missoula, and finished that year there.
Then, Boston called and made an offer, that required no thought, he signed and it was a no brainer.
Here’s what Penrod said about how he got out of Indy ball and on with the Red Sox.
I think it was one of those things where I changed my mindset a little bit. I was 26 years old, it was my 3rd year of Indy ball, I was getting married at the end of the year, so it was like, get it going or give it up.
So, I came to the decision that 2023 would be my last year, so instead of pitching to get picked up, I decided to just have fun with it my last year, and see where it goes from there.
I just went out and enjoyed what I was doing, I didn’t try and throw as hard as I could, and luckily enough I put something together and got on a roll and that roll just kept going until one day the Red Sox called.
They asked if they could release my medicals, and I was like, sure, why not and the next Monday they called and asked if I would like to have a contract, and I didn’t have to think about it, I said “where do I sign.”
Penrod went on to mention that Michael Schlact, the manager of Missoula, really stuck his neck out for him, and for that, he will be forever grateful. Schlact called Boston and told them that Penrod was a Major Leaguer, and that he was so confident that if he was wrong, they could never take one of his players again.
And, he wasn’t wrong, Penrod made his MLB debut that season!
MLB Debut to the Dodgers
Penrod made his MLB debut at Yankee Stadium, and says the craziest part of it was that they called him at 10:30 at night and told him he was going to Yankee Stadium. He didn’t know where the Major League club was playing at that moment, but they told him he was going to pitch in a 1:00 game the next day and that he had a 6:00 A.M. Flight.
He says he didn’t have time to think about it, his daughter had been born the week before, so he was caught up with that, so he didn’t really have time to process it.
He went to Yankee Stadium straight from the Airport. They told him they weren’t sure he’d pitch, but then he did, and made his MLB debut.
Penrod had more momentum than ever, he was finally given the chance to build a Major League career, and entered 2025 ready to be a mainstay. But, as luck would have it, he hurt his elbow to start this year’s Spring Training, then he got traded to the Dodgers, and here we are.
The Pitch Mix
Penrod has been pitching in relief but has a 4, used to be 5 pitch mix, but he’s combined the cutter and slider. He added a 2-seam since coming to the Dodgers and feels like it’s maybe his best weapon.
He throws a good changeup, which is his “feel” pitch, and it’s his favorite pitch to throw. His 4-Seam rides the top of the zone well, but the pitch he’s working on the hardest is the cutter. Penrod says he’s found a good groove for that pitch, and he can throw it both to righties and lefties, and it works the North/South and East/West combos.
When asked what he’s doing well enough right now to be a consistent Major Leaguer, here’s what he said.
Yeah, I think I’m throwing strikes. I’ve struggled with command in the past, but right now I have a pretty good feel for the zone. Like I said, the changeup might be missing a little bit right now, and that might be what’s holding me back, but I’m confident I can get Big League hitters out, because I’ve done it before.
What a story! This dude just keeps going, and so nothing but mad respect. You gotta root for a guy like this!
It’s a Great Day to be a Dodger!
Become a subscriber to our Dodgers Daily YouTube page and follow us on Twitter @dodger_daily, on Instagram @dodger.daily, or on TikTok @dodgers_daily.
Also, please consider donating to our Live Dodgers Dawgs shows to help Dodgers Daily keep growing. We go live several times a week, and we’d love to have you join the chat. This site will always be free to its viewers, but it does take time and money to run, so any-sized donation would be greatly appreciated.
