I haven’t always been a big podcast guy, but with cold weather and snow on the ground, I needed a baseball fix so I started pouring through podcasts. The Foul Territory Network has a lot of great stuff for baseball fans with hosts like Ken Rosenthal and former Phillies catcher Erik Kratz. I have quickly become a favorite of The Phillies Show, which teams Todd Zolecki (MLB.com), Jim Salisbury, and Ruben Amaro Jr. to talk about what’s going on with the Phillies.

Their latest episode featured an interview with Zach McCambley, who the Phillies selected in the Major League Phase of last week’s Rule 5 Draft. McCambley, who is currently in Tampa, Florida, was sitting in his car to do the interview as the three took turns asking him about his career and the pitches he throws.

It turns out that McCambley, 26, who was born in Netcong, NJ, grew up in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania and attended Pocono Mountain East High School. PM East plays in the same league as many high schools from the Lehigh Valley, so McCambley made a number of trips to the area to play. He also played at Coca-Cola Park, the home of the Lehigh Valley IronPigs during some league competitions that are held there and is well familiar with the area. Of course, a lot would have to happen for him to play there again since the Phillies have to keep him on their MLB roster for the entire season or offer him back to the Miami Marlins.

THE READ-IN: Rule 5 Scouting Report: RHP Zach McCambley

McCambley talked about the pitches he throws and gave a demonstration of how he grips the ball to throw a couple of his pitches. Initially, McCambley had a four-seam fastball and a slider, but this past season needed something to compliment the two pitches. He developed what he calls a “gyro,” that is basically a cutter.

“Earlier in my career I was just a four-seam, slider guy and this year, we needed something to bridge the two. I have the big sweeper (slider) that moves 15 to up to 22 inches horizontal. I’ve always had a good ability to spin the ball, so for me, it was finding something to bridge the two,” McCambley explained. “I was able to keep this gyro pitch as a cutter. I don’t think cutter when I throw it, I just think get on the side of the ball and it gives that bullet spin. It just bridges the gap between my four-seam and my big slider, which I also tweaked this offseason to get more horizontal break on it.”

Watch The Phillies Show on YouTube

The Phillies are excited about McCambley’s ability to get right-handed hitters out. Dave Dombrowski has talked about McCambley being a guy that they think they will be able to not only keep on the roster, but get value out of in 2026. “When we drafted him, we had the feeling that he could make the team,” Dombrowski told reporters after the Rule 5 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.”

McCambley plans on being in camp in January to begin the process of showing the Phillies that he can and should stick with the team and be given a chance out of the bullpen. He told The Phillies Show that his agent had told him about a week before the Rule 5 Draft that there was a chance he was going to be selected, so he was ready for the news when it hit. He just wasn’t ready for the team.

“I was born in Netcong, New Jersey, but I grew up in the Pocono Mountains. My high school played in the Lehigh Valley – at the Lehigh Valley stadium – all the time, so I’m familiar with that area over there,” said McCambley. “I grew up going to Phillies games, so when I heard that the Phillies took me, I was super-shocked, and I know my family and friends back home were super-excited for it.”

You can watch The Phillies Show by using the link above. To listen to the audio version, you can find it wherever you listen to podcasts.

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