I’ve always rooted for Zach Eflin to be a great major league pitcher. He’s certainly had many of opportunities to do just that with the Phillies. Every year we’ve heard how this will be the year that he ‘breaks out.’ In fact in the local press online, it was reported just a week ago that Eflin is “Living up to his off-season hype.”
If I had a dollar for every time that I heard that Zach is on the verge of something better, I’d have a lot of money in the pocket. Yesterday, was a return to the ‘old’ Eflin that many Phillies fans remember. This is the 6th season with the Phillies, that’s a long time for a mediocre starting pitcher to hold a spot in a Major League rotation. The Phillies have been more that patient with him.
| Year | Age | Tm | Lg | W | L | W-L% | ERA | GS | IP | Awards |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 22 | PHI | NL | 3 | 5 | .375 | 5.54 | 11 | 63.1 | |
| 2017 | 23 | PHI | NL | 1 | 5 | .167 | 6.16 | 11 | 64.1 | |
| 2018 | 24 | PHI | NL | 11 | 8 | .579 | 4.36 | 24 | 128.0 | |
| 2019 | 25 | PHI | NL | 10 | 13 | .435 | 4.13 | 28 | 163.1 | |
| 2020 | 26 | PHI | NL | 4 | 2 | .667 | 3.97 | 10 | 59.0 | |
| 2021 | 27 | PHI | NL | 2 | 2 | .500 | 3.86 | 8 | 51.1 | |
| 6 Yr | 6 Yr | 6 Yr | 6 Yr | 31 | 35 | .470 | 4.56 | 92 | 529.1 | |
| 162 | 162 | 162 | 162 | 11 | 13 | .470 | 4.56 | 33 | 190 |
The way pitching is these days a pitcher like Zach Eflin is a $10M a year pitcher, despite him being average or below average. The ‘below average’ Eflin was on the mound for the Phillies yesterday in the 6-1 loss.
Phils take 2 of 3 from the Nationals though, so all is not lost. The team faces the Toronto Blue Jays in Dunedin, Florida for a weekend series. The Phils return from the road trip and have a Monday off, then resume at home on the 18th vs the Miami Marlins. After the Marlins series, the Phils welcome in the red hot Boston Red Sox.
