| Zach Phillips | |
|---|---|
| Baltimore Orioles – No. 58 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: September 21, 1986 Sacramento, California |
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| Bats: Left | Throws: Left |
| MLB debut | |
| August 31, 2011 for the Baltimore Orioles | |
| Teams | |
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Zachary David Phillips (born September 21, 1986 in Sacramento, California) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles of Major League Baseball.
Prior to playing professionally, he attended Galt Union High School in Galt, California and then Sacramento City College. He was drafted by the Rangers in the 23rd round of the 2005 amateur draft,[1] being signed by scout Tim Fortugno.
Phillips began his professional career in 2005, playing for the AZL Rangers (14 games) and Clinton Lumber Kings (two games), going a combined 1-3 with a 4.14 ERA in 16 games (11 starts). In 54⅓ innings, he struck out 77 batters. He spent all of 2006 with the Lumber Kings, going 5-23 with a 5.96 ERA in 28 starts. The following year, he played for the Clinton again and went 11-7 with a 2.91 ERA in 27 starts, striking out 157 batters in 151⅔ innings of work. In 2008, he went 8-9 with a 5.54 ERA in 28 starts for the Bakersfield Blaze.[2]
For the 2009 season, Phillips converted to relief pitching and went a combined 2-3 with a 1.39 ERA in 36 combined games for the Blaze (16 games) and Frisco RoughRiders (20 games). He began the 2010 season with the RoughRiders but was later promoted to the Oklahoma City RedHawks.
On July 14, 2011, the Texas Rangers designated Phillips for assignment, giving them ten days to trade, release, or outright him to the minors. [3] On July 19, 2011, he was traded to the Baltimore Orioles for minor league infielder Nick Green and cash.[4]