Philadelphia Phillies: Zach Eflin just silenced a whole lot of critics

Philadelphia Phillies RHP Zach Eflin flashed some seriously elite stuff against the Braves on Saturday.

I never thought this day would actually come, but I personally owe Philadelphia Phillies RHP Zach Eflin an apology. I have long been a non-believer of Eflin, going as far as to write a “The Zach Eflin ‘breakout’ is never happening” piece a few weeks ago. Now, on the back of a seriously dominant Saturday afternoon performance against a division rival, it’s looking like Eflin might turn into something reliable after all.

Eflin has long been a frequent appearer on “breakout players” articles for as long as I can remember. A first-round pick for the San Diego Padres back in 2012, there was always a lot of hype surrounding the sinker specialist.

Traded to the Philadelphia Phillies in 2014, Eflin really failed to establish himself as a dependable starter in the major leagues. His ERA in his first two seasons was 5.54 and 6.16, and even in years three and four he only managed to get it down into the mid/low 4.00s. Never once did he touch anything that would have warranted his initial first-round selection.

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Entering into the 2020 season, the Philadelphia Phillies really switched up their approach to their starting rotation. They spent top dollar on a hard-throwing righty entering his prime in Zack Wheeler (that signing has worked out beautifully this far might I add), and the team shortly called up top-rated prospect Spencer Howard soon after.

In just a few weeks time, it seemed like Eflin was destined for a role as the team’s fourth or even fifth best starter.

However, during a crucial game against the NL East leading Braves on Saturday, Eflin flashed some of that elite pitching ability that saw him drafted in the first-round all those years ago. He went 7.0 strong innings, allowing just four hits and one run, and struck out an impressive eight Atlanta batters. His sinker was dancing all over the zone, and his curveball resulted in a fair amount of buckled knees and puzzled looks at the plate.

Eflin was only at 83 pitches when his dominant outing was interrupted by a rain delay, and after the game Joe Girardi said he was “for sure” sending the righty back out there for another inning. Eflin was tied atop the NL in complete games last season, and he had a genuine shot at pulling one off during Saturday’s win had the rain not poured down.

For what it’s worth, Eflin still has a 4.10 ERA on the season and he’s had some truly disastrous outings earlier in the year. He is nowhere near the level of consistency of an Aaron Nola or a Zack Wheeler, but he’s beginning to show flashes that he is actually better than someone like myself gave him credit for.

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I called Eflin a “slightly below average starter” a few weeks back following a rocky start against the Orioles, and while there’s still a good chunk of baseball left to be played this year, it’s very possible I’ll have to retract that statement here in the near future. Seven innings of one-run ball against the offensive juggernaut that is the Atlanta Braves is always something worth tipping your cap to.

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