PHILADELPHIA, PA – SEPTEMBER 28: Pitcher Zach Eflin #56 of the Philadelphia Phillies is congratulated after he was pulled against the Miami Marlins during the eighth inning of a game at Citizens Bank Park on September 28, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Phillies defeated the Marlins 9-3. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images)
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The Philadelphia Phillies entered the season with one of baseball’s deepest starting rotations and the club has managed some turbulence and changes to retain that strength amid another playoff push.
With Cristopher Sanchez setting a franchise record earlier this season, Zack Wheeler fighting through a return from offseason surgery and Aaron Nola and Andrew Painter finding their strides, Philadelphia’s rotation depth has remained a significant part of its postseason plans.
Under president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski, starting pitching has long been the Phillies’ calling card. And that included the career start of a player who has now earned a notable career accomplishment with his new team.
Long-Time Philadelphia Phillies Pitcher Reaches Rare MLB Milestone
Zach Eflin, who spent the first seven seasons of his career with the Phillies before moving on to the Tampa Bay Rays and then the Baltimore Orioles, has officially reached 10 years of MLB service time.
The Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) marked the occasion with an announcement on social media.
The milestone carries particular significance because reaching a decade of service requires much more than simply having major league talent. Players must remain healthy and productive enough to spend years in the majors while navigating injuries, roster decisions and the natural turnover of professional baseball.
When it comes to Eflin, many Phillies fans will take the moment to remember his dependability and contributions across many years in Philadelphia.
“Throughout history, fewer than 10% of Players have possessed the combination of talent, health, resilience, perseverance and good fortune to achieve the feat,” MLBPA noted in the announcement. “Eflin was selected by San Diego in the first round of the 2012 draft and debuted with the Phillies four years later. Eflin spent his first seven seasons in Philadelphia before stints in Tampa Bay and Baltimore. The Florida native has pitched in over 200 games and accumulated more than 900 strikeouts.”
Eflin’s Philadelphia tenure included several different stages of his development, including the start of what became a standout career in the majors.
From Philadelphia Phillies Prospect To 10-Year MLB Veteran
Eflin’s biggest transformation came after he moved away from an approach centered on overpowering hitters and instead leaned more heavily on his sinker and curveball, thanks in large part to the Phillies’ development system. That adjustment helped him become a more effective major league starter, including a 2020 season in which he posted a 3.97 ERA and 10.9 strikeouts per nine innings.
Injuries interrupted his time with Philadelphia, including season-ending knee surgery in 2021. But he later became an important part of the Phillies’ 2022 postseason bullpen, posting a 3.38 ERA across 10 and two-thirds playoff innings.
After the 2022 season, Eflin left Philadelphia and signed a three-year, $40 million contract with the Rays. Now, more than a decade after being drafted, the former Phillies pitcher has reached one of baseball’s most exclusive career milestones.
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