| Zach Eflin | |||||||||||||||
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.jpg) Eflin with the Phillies in 2016 | |||||||||||||||
| Tampa Bay Rays – No. 24 | |||||||||||||||
| Pitcher | |||||||||||||||
| Born: April 8, 1994 Orlando, Florida, U.S. | |||||||||||||||
Bats: Right Throws: Right | |||||||||||||||
| MLB debut | |||||||||||||||
| June 14, 2016, for the Philadelphia Phillies | |||||||||||||||
| MLB statistics (through June 22, 2024) | |||||||||||||||
| Win–loss record | 55–58 | ||||||||||||||
| Earned run average | 4.27 | ||||||||||||||
| Strikeouts | 801 | ||||||||||||||
| Teams | |||||||||||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||
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Medals
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Zachary Adams Eflin (born April 8, 1994) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Tampa Bay Rays of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Philadelphia Phillies.
The San Diego Padres selected Eflin in the first round (33rd overall) of the 2012 MLB draft, and he spent three seasons in the Padres' minor league system. In December 2014, Eflin was traded twice in the course of 24 hours, first to the Los Angeles Dodgers as part of a package for all-star outfielder Matt Kemp, and then to the Phillies as part of a package for franchise star Jimmy Rollins. Eflin made his MLB debut with the Phillies in 2016 and bounced between the major league and minor league levels for several seasons. Beginning in 2019, he landed in the major leagues and became an anchor of the Phillies' starting rotation in 2019–21 seasons, but a right knee contusion resulted in a stint on the 60-day injured list, and Eflin was moved to the bullpen after his return in September 2022. He signed with the Rays as a free agent after the 2022 season.
Eflin relies heavily on a sinking fastball that he pairs with a slider and curveball. Although he has experimented with being a power pitcher, he relies more on his command and pitching to contact. He is a Christian and credits his faith as having helped him through a challenging upbringing that included several family tragedies.