Former Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Zach Eflin has reached 10 years of MLB service time, a milestone the MLBPA says fewer than 10% of players achieve. Eflin spent his first seven major-league seasons in Philadelphia before later pitching for Tampa Bay and Baltimore.
The MLBPA said Eflin was selected by San Diego in the first round of the 2012 draft and made his major-league debut with Philadelphia in 2016. It also said he has pitched in more than 200 games and recorded over 900 strikeouts.
In Philadelphia, Eflin shifted from trying to overpower hitters to relying more on his sinker and curveball, an adjustment aided in large part by the Phillies’ development system. He posted a 3.97 ERA and 10.9 strikeouts per nine innings in 2020, then had a 3.38 ERA over 10⅔ innings in the Phillies’ 2022 postseason.
