Phillies Think Zach McCambley Could Make Opening Day Roster
The Phillies believe that 26-year-old righthander Zach McCambley has a chance to impact their major league bullpen this season.
The 6-foot-2 righthander spent five seasons in the Marlins organization before the Phillies selected him in December’s Rule 5 draft. Over 62 innings last year between Double-A and Triple-A, McCambley posted a 2.90 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP.
One key reason for his success was halving his walk rate from 18% in 2024 to about 9% last season.
But what appealed most to the Phillies was McCambley’s effectiveness against righthanded hitters. He held them to a .186 average.
A major reason for that is his slider. The offering has more than 15 inches of horizontal movement and misses a lot of barrels, with a 50.7% whiff rate and 18.2% hard-hit rate in 2025.
McCambley also throws a cutter and a fastball that sits 94 mph and tops out around 96.
“He’s got a starter background. He’s been in the bullpen. But he’s just someone who has some versatility to maybe log some innings, pitch short, whatever they might need him to do,” Phillies director of professional scouting Mike Ondo said.
“But to really kind of get in there and get him on a pocket of righthanded hitters, I think is really what we’re hoping where some big value is.”
If McCambley doesn’t break camp with the Phillies, he will be placed on waivers. If he clears, he has to be offered back to the Marlins, according to Rule 5 regulations.
The Phillies haven’t had a Rule 5 pick make the Opening Day roster under current president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski, who was hired in 2020. But the Phillies have reasons to be optimistic about McCambley’s chances.
“He’s a little bit different, because he’s in a spot where he has to make the club,” Dombrowski said. “But when we drafted him, we had the feeling that he could make the team.”
