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Philadelphia Phillies: Look for Zach Eflin to take over for Clay Buchholtz

By Amedeo Guglielmelli

Apr 11, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; A moment of silence is observed for Philadelphia Flyers owner Ed Snider before the start of a game between the Philadelphia Phillies and the San Diego Padres on Opening Day at Citizens Bank Park. Snider passed away Monday morning. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 11, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; A moment of silence is observed for Philadelphia Flyers owner Ed Snider before the start of a game between the Philadelphia Phillies and the San Diego Padres on Opening Day at Citizens Bank Park. Snider passed away Monday morning. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports /
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With Clay Buchholtz tearing his right flexor pronator mass, gifted prospect Zach Eflin looks to step up for the Philadelphia Phillies following his activation off of the disabled list.

Clay Buchholtz lasted all of three innings against the Mets on Wednesday, April 11th. Even though the Philadelphia Phillies aren’t expecting to make a playoff run, Buchholtz was looked to stabilize the back-end of the rotation.

As a former member of the Boston Red Sox, Clay Buchholtz was looked to bring in a “winning attitude” for youngsters Aaron Nola, Jerad Eickhoff, and Vincent Velasquez.

With the season still young and the team being challenging (at times), look for the Philadelphia Phillies to add youngster Zach Eflin to man the final rotation spot. The two other options the Phillies could go with are Ben Lively who has never pitched in the big leagues, or Jake Thompson that has a worse ERA and record in the MLB than Elfin.

Last year Zach Eflin sported a 3-5 record with a 5.54 ERA in 63.1 innings pitched. The opposition was hitting .269 off of him, but he managed to strike out 31 batters before he was shut down with a tear in each patellar tendon. Now healthy and coming off of an impressive start in Class A, where he pitched seven scoreless innings and struck out seven while surrendering zero, there are signs that he is comfortable and back on track to fulfill his potential.

With better competition in Triple-A expect to see a lot more of his fastball and changeup. These have been his two bread and butter pitches so far. In his lone start for the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs, he threw five scoreless innings along with his five hits, three walks, and four strikeouts. The promise is there from the former number two overall pick, but in order to really surpass his potential, he will need to learn how to control his pitches better.

He will have to learn how to make his pitches dance if he wants to crack the lineup in the big league. Right now though there is nothing to lose with him being the fifth starter for a team going through a rebuilding phase. He is still young at age 23 that he can prosper into an ace for a team. Pitching behind youngsters Eickhoff, Nola, and Velasquez could be very beneficial also as he can question the kids who were just recently the new kids on the block and trying to find their bearings under the bright lights.

Next: Tensions Rise As Mets Take Series Opener Against Phillies

With upcoming series against divisional rivals Washington, New York, and Atlanta, look for the Fightin Phils to sneak away with a series win or two on the backs of their young pitching rotation and their ever developing offense led by Cesar Hernandez and Mikal Franco who are both coming off impressive games. It may be a long season for the fans, but at least we get to see the kids develop into the face of our historic franchise.

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