Zachary David Phillips (born September 21, 1986) is a Mexican-American professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

for the Conspiradores de Querétaro of the

Mexican League The Mexican Baseball League (, or LMB, ) is a professional baseball league in Mexico. It is the oldest running professional sports league in the country. The league has 20 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games ...

. He has previously played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB) for the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles (also known as the O's) are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. As one of the America ...

Miami Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League East, East Division. The ...

, and

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central ...

, and in

Nippon Professional Baseball is a professional baseball league and the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning simply ''Professional Baseball''; outside of Japan, NPB is often referred to as "Japanese baseball". The roots of the league ...

(NPB) for the

Hiroshima Toyo Carp The is a professional baseball team based in Hiroshima, Japan. They compete in the Central League of Nippon Professional Baseball. The team is primarily owned by the Matsuda family, led by , who is a descendant of Mazda founder Jujiro Matsuda ...

. He was drafted by the Texas Rangers in the 23rd round of the

2005 MLB draft The 2005 Major League Baseball draft, was held on June 7 and 8. It was conducted via conference call with representatives from each of the league's 30 teams. It is widely considered to be one of the best drafts in recent memory. ''SourceMajor L ...

Career

Texas Rangers

Phillips was drafted by the Texas Rangers in the 23rd round, with the 681st overall selection, of the

2005 Major League Baseball draft The 2005 Major League Baseball draft, was held on June 7 and 8. It was conducted via conference call with representatives from each of the league's 30 teams. It is widely considered to be one of the best drafts in recent memory. ''SourceMajor L ...

, being signed by scout Tim Fortugno. Phillips began his professional career in 2005, playing for the

Arizona League Rangers The Arizona Complex League Rangers are a Rookie-level affiliate of the Texas Rangers, competing in the Arizona Complex League of Minor League Baseball. The team plays its home games at Surprise Stadium in Surprise, Arizona. The team is composed m ...

(14 games) and

Clinton LumberKings The Clinton LumberKings are a collegiate summer baseball team of the Prospect League. They are located in Clinton, Iowa, and play their home games at NelsonCorp Field. From 1956 to 2020, they were members of Minor League Baseball's Midwest Leag ...

(two games), going a combined 1-3 with a 4.14 ERA in 16 games (11 starts). In innings, he struck out 77 batters. He spent all of 2006 with the LumberKings, 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 innings of work. In 2008, he went 8-9 with a 5.54 ERA in 28 starts for the

Bakersfield Blaze The Bakersfield Blaze were a minor league baseball team in Bakersfield, California. They played in the California League at the Class A-Advanced level, hosting home games at Sam Lynn Ballpark. Opened in 1941, the stadium is well known for facing ...

. 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 The Frisco RoughRiders (often shortened to 'Riders) are a Minor League Baseball team of the Texas League and the Double-A (baseball), Double-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers (baseball), Texas Rangers. Based in Frisco, Texas, the team is named aft ...

(20 games). He began the 2010 season with the RoughRiders but was later promoted to the

Oklahoma City RedHawks Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

. On July 14, 2011, Phillips was

designated for assignment Designated for assignment (DFA) is a contractual term used in Major League Baseball (MLB). A player who is designated for assignment is immediately removed from the team's 40-man roster, after which the team must, within seven days, return the pla ...

by the Rangers, giving them 10 days to trade, release, or outright him to the minors.

Baltimore Orioles

On July 19, 2011, Phillips was traded to the

in exchange for minor league infielder Nick Green and cash. He made his Major League debut for the Orioles on August 31, against the

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Since 1989, the team has p ...

. He appeared in 10 games during his rookie campaign, with a 1.13 ERA and 8 strikeouts in 8 innings pitched. Phillips made 6 appearances for Baltimore in 2012, struggling to a 6.00 ERA with 5 strikeouts over 6 innings of work. On November 4, 2012, Phillips elected free agency after refusing his outright assignment to the Triple-A

Norfolk Tides The Norfolk Tides are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. They are located in Norfolk, Virginia, and are named in nautical reference to the city's loc ...

Miami Marlins

On November 25, 2012, Phillips signed a minor league contract with the

organization. After not making the team, he was assigned to the Triple-A

New Orleans Zephyrs New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz (South Korean band), The Boyz * New (album), ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** New (Paul McCartney song), "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * New (EP), ''New'' (EP), ...

, where he spent most of the 2013 season. In 50 games with the Zephyrs, he went 4-2 with a 2.44 ERA and a save, striking out 74 in 59 innings. On September 1, 2013, the Marlins selected Phillips' contract, adding him to their active roster. Phillips appeared in 3 games with Miami, where he went 0-1 while giving up 1 run in innings. He was outrighted off the roster on October 7, and elected to become a free agent.

Hiroshima Toyo Carp

On October 28, 2013, Phillips signed a one-year contract with the

, including a signing bonus of $154k. In nine relief appearances for Hiroshima in 2014, Phillips went 1-0 with a 3.27 ERA and 7 strikeouts across 11 innings pitched.

Chicago White Sox

On December 15, 2014, Phillips signed a minor league contract with the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...

. In 46 appearances for the Triple-A

Charlotte Knights The Charlotte Knights are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. They are located in Charlotte, North Carolina, and play their home games at Truist Field ...

, he posted a 1-1 record and 3.13 ERA with 64 strikeouts and 12 saves across innings pitched. On November 4, 2015, the White Sox added Phillips to their

40-man roster A Major League Baseball roster is a list of players who are allowed, by league agreement, to play for a Major League Baseball (MLB) team. Each MLB team maintains two rosters: an active roster of players eligible to participate in an MLB game, an ...

. However, on March 18, 2016, Phillips was removed from the 40-man roster and sent outright to Charlotte, an assignment which he declined in favor of free agency.

Baltimore Orioles (second stint)

Phillips signed a one-year contract with the

on March 23, 2016. On April 1, he was removed from the 40–man roster and outrighted to the Triple–A

. In 49 relief outings for Norfolk, Phillips compiled a 9–3 record and 4.45 ERA with 84 strikeouts across innings pitched.

Pittsburgh Pirates

On August 31, 2016, Phillips was traded to the

in exchange for left-handed pitcher Kyle Lobstein. On September 13, the Pirates selected Phillips' contract, adding him to their active roster. In 8 appearances for Pittsburgh, he posted a 2.70 ERA with 6 strikeouts across innings pitched. On November 2, Phillips was removed from the 40-man roster and sent outright to the Triple-A

Indianapolis Indians The Indianapolis Indians are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. They are located in Indianapolis, Indiana, and play their home games at Victory ...

, an assignment he rejected in favor of electing free agency the following day.

St. Louis Cardinals

On November 18, 2016, Phillips signed a minor league contract with the

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Centra ...

that included an invitation to spring training. In 19 appearances for the Triple-A

Memphis Redbirds The Memphis Redbirds are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. They are located in Memphis, Tennessee, and are named for their Major League Baseball affiliate. The Redbird ...

, he pitched to a 1-4 record and 5.04 ERA with 31 strikeouts across innings pitched. Phillips was released by the Cardinals organization on June 15, 2017.

Acereros de Monclova

On June 24, 2017, Phillips signed with the

Acereros de Monclova The Acereros de Monclova (English: Monclova Steelers) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League The Mexican Baseball League (, or LMB, ) is a professional baseball league in Mexico. It is the oldest running professional sports l ...

of the

. In 2018, he was naturalized as a Mexican and no longer occupied a foreign spot in the Mexican League. On February 26, 2019, He was selected

Mexico national baseball team The Mexico national baseball team (Spanish language, Spanish: ''Selección de béisbol de México'') is the baseball team that represents Mexico in international tournaments. It is currently the 2nd-ranked baseball team in the world. Current rost ...

at 2019 exhibition games against

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. Phillips did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the Mexican League season because of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

Rieleros de Aguascalientes

On July 13, 2022, Phillips was loaned to the

Rieleros de Aguascalientes The Rieleros de Aguascalientes (English: Aguascalientes Railroaders) are a professional baseball team based in Aguascalientes, Aguascalientes that competes in the Mexican League. Established in 1975, the Rieleros have won the Mexican League cha ...

of the

for the remainder of the 2022 season. In 11 contests, he logged an 0.90 ERA with 14 strikeouts across 10 innings of work. On September 23, the Acereros officially traded Phillips to the Rieleros, making the loan permanent. In 2023, Phillips made 29 relief appearances for Aguascalientes, registering a 4–3 record and 4.25 ERA with 18 strikeouts and 2 saves across innings pitched.

Acereros de Monclova (second stint)

On August 1, 2023, Phillips was traded back to the

of the

. He made three scoreless outings for Monclova to finish the year. Phillips made 31 appearances for Monclova in 2024, recording a 1.85 ERA with 12 strikeouts across innings of relief.

Conspiradores de Querétaro

On February 24, 2025, Phillips was traded to the Conspiradores de Querétaro of the

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Phillips, Zach 1986 births Living people Acereros de Monclova players American emigrants to Mexico American expatriate baseball players in Japan American expatriate baseball players in Mexico Arizona League Rangers players Bakersfield Blaze players Baseball players from Sacramento, California Baltimore Orioles players Charlotte Knights players Clinton LumberKings players Conspiradores de Querétaro players Frisco RoughRiders players Hiroshima Toyo Carp players Indianapolis Indians players Leones de Ponce baseball players Major League Baseball pitchers Memphis Redbirds players Mexican baseball players Mexican League baseball pitchers Miami Marlins players New Orleans Zephyrs players Nippon Professional Baseball pitchers Norfolk Tides players Oklahoma City RedHawks players Pittsburgh Pirates players Round Rock Express players Sacramento City Panthers baseball players Tomateros de Culiacán players 21st-century American sportsmen