We are four days away from pitchers and catchers reporting to Clearwater, Florida, as the Philadelphia Phillies begin their 2026 journey. Spring Training rosters are as long as a CVS receipt, but one relief pitcher that could be an interesting one to follow throughout the next month is right-hander Zach McCambley.
McCambley, born in Netcong, New Jersey, grew up in the Poconos. He played high school baseball in the Lehigh Valley, playing games at Coca-Cola Park, home of the IronPigs, and would go to Phillies games during his childhood. His young baseball career came full circle when he was selected by his childhood team with the penultimate pick of the 13-pick Rule 5 Draft back in December.
“When I heard the Phillies took me, I was super shocked. I know a lot of my friends and family were super excited,” McCambley said on the Phillies Show.
Teams that select a player must pay the original team $100,000, and the selected player must remain on the drafting team’s active roster for the entire season. If not, the player is returned to his original team.
Originally drafted by the Miami Marlins in the third round in 2020 out of Coastal Carolina, the 26-year-old will now compete for a spot in the bullpen and should have a decent runway to do so.
With the Phillies in search of a right-handed reliever who dominates fellow righties, McCambley piqued the interest of Dave Dombrowski and the front office.
Per Fangraphs, McCambley is projected to make the pen as one of six right-handers.
Other righties include definitives Jhoan Duran, newly added Brad Keller and Orion Kerkering, while Jonathan Bowlan, who is out of options and was traded for in the Matt Strahm deal, expects to have a spot in the bullpen. Zach Pop signed a one-year deal and is also expected to compete alongside McCambley for a bullpen role.
Last season in 47 total appearances, with 36 coming with Triple-A Jacksonville, McCambley had success against right-handed hitters, holding them to a .186 batting average and a .490 OPS while allowing just one home run to go with 53 strikeouts and just eight walks in 129 plate appearances.
Here’s MLB Pipeline’s scouting report on the righty:
"McCambley relies heavily on his breaking stuff. Since his amateur days, different evaluators have called it a curve or slider because it has depth and a ton of horizontal action, but whatever you call it, it's effective. The main reason for McCambley's step forward in 2025, other than health, was his improved command. He trimmed his walk rate down to 3.2 BB/9, his lowest since 2021."
His sweeper was quite lethal last season, and it looks like it continues to get better this offseason.
To start his career, he was primarily a fastball/slider-type pitcher, but he has since added that sweeper, which has 15-22 inches of horizontal break and also has a “gyro,” which is similar to a cutter but has a bullet spin, which helps bridge the gap between his fastball and slider and used as a pitch he can throw for a strike when needed and has helped him replace his fastball, which has struggled at times in terms of metrics.
McCambley will look to showcase his ability to attack right-handers at the plate and prove he can become a reliable option for Rob Thomson and the Phillies.
“It’s an honor to be able to be selected. I know not every team took a guy in the (Rule 5) draft. For the Phillies to consider me, I was really happy to hear my name get picked, and I couldn’t be happier to get a chance here.”
