While the Rule 5 Draft at MLB's Winter Meetings brought some losses for the Philadelphia Phillies' farm system, the most significant addition they made from the draft could be one of the best pickups for the team's bullpen.
The Phillies, with a hefty 40-man roster to control, lost first-base prospect Carson Taylor, who was chosen by the Seattle Mariners, and former top prospect right-hander Griff McGarry to the Washington Nationals. Despite losing McGarry, the team selected the bountiful arm of Zach McCambley from the Miami Marlins, adding him to their 40-man roster immediately.
For those who don't know, the Rule 5 Draft is an event in which teams can participate and select any players who did not make their team's 40-man roster, allowing both equitable playing time for prospects trying to make their way to the majors, as well as an honest way to ensure teams are not stashing prospects within their system indefinitely.
The one risk teams run with selecting players from the Rule 5 Draft is the fact that they will have to stay on the team's big league roster for the entirety of the 2026 season, unless the player is completely rough, in which case the player must be placed on outright waivers and offered back to his original team.
Phillies' Rule 5 Draft pick Zach McCambley could prove to be a wise investment
The Phillies believe McCambley, 26, can make the team out of spring training (subscription required) and will be looking for him to showcase his dominance against right-handed batters, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer's Lochlahn March.
“When we drafted him, we had the feeling that he could make the team,” Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski told March after the draft. “And one of the things that we’ve talked about looking to have over the last few years is a right-handed person in the bullpen that dominates right-handed hitters. So we think he has a chance to do that.”
He's right. In McCambley's 53 innings in Triple-A for the Marlins, righties batted .186 against him. That number, combined with the movement of each of his pitches, makes McCambley an interesting player to watch throughout the Phillies' 2026 season.
Two disgusting sweepers from @Phillies RHP Zach McCambley in his latest bullpen pic.twitter.com/e2wsF0RnAw
— Driveline Baseball (@DrivelineBB) January 6, 2026
With how well Phillies pitching coach Caleb Cotham has developed many of the arms that have led the team to whatever successes they've had in recent postseasons, McCambley could be the next success story.
Throughout his time with Miami, McCambley posted a 2.90 ERA and a 1.097 WHIP in 62 innings between Double- and Triple-A, primarily using his slider, cutter, and 4-seamer.
In 40 2/3 Triple-A innings, he posted a 35.5 percent whiff rate which ranked in the 95th percentile among pitchers who threw a minimum of 500 pitches, according to his Prospect Savant page. McCambley also ran a 14.96 percent swinging strike rate (94th percentile), a 30.8 percent strikeout rate (92nd percentile). When batters did make contact it wasn't very hard, as he held them to an 85.3 mph average exit velocity (88th percentile).
McCambley relies heavily on his strong mid-80s slider with a high spin rate and a 50 percent whiff rate in 2025. He held batters to a .125 xBA and a .168 xSLG with his most used breaking pitch.
However, his fastball is a beautiful complement, which makes a younger prospect worth investing in. His four-seamer sits around 94 mph (while topping out at 97 mph) and also misses a fair amount of bats due to its high spin rate and the way it flicks upwards as it's approaching the plate. With continued growth of McCambley's command over his pitches, he could become the biggest steal of the Rule 5 Draft.
While the bullpen has always been a point of contention for the Phillies, the talent prepared to step into the game late seems to outweigh any longterm relievers that could make the top of the bullpen, but McCambley and his six-tool arsenal, in addition to his experience as a starter, could give the Phillies a reliable arm that could throw two, maybe three, innings out of the arm barn.
His three main pitches are considered major-league ready at this point, and the rest of his pitches have been coming along, with each pitch's vertical and horizontal break expanding and defying the laws of physics with each throw. It'll be interesting to see how McCambley will do for a former NL East rival, with everyone hoping that this Rule 5 investment pays off.