SARASOTA—Whenever a new player came to the Orioles this offseason, they invariably pointed to a phone call or message from Zach Eflin, who re-signed with the Orioles late in December.
Eflin, who had back surgery in August, and said before the procedure that he wanted to come back to the team, decided to talk the Orioles up whenever he spoke with a new Oriole or a free agent who was considering joining the team.
“Honestly, not too much, not from the free-agent side. A couple of the trade guys that I played with prior, I talked to,” Eflin said. “I didn’t necessarily know what was going on with [Chris Bassitt]. When he signed, he texted me and he was fired up, talked to him about it.”
Eflin knew Taylor Ward from playing travel ball as a youngster and was a teammate of Shane Baz with the Tampa Bay Rays, and both mentioned him in their introductory video conference calls.
“Taylor, we grew up playing with each other, told him how much he’d love it here,” Eflin said. “I think it’s a big part of being with an organization is to sell the organization, especially when you are genuinely happy here and you feel like you can win a World Series here.
“That’s how I was recruited to Tampa. A couple of guys on the team reached out to me, so I took that. I really want to make sure people are comfortable here and know that we’re about business here, and we’re trying to win a World Series.
“It’s not just show up, do your stuff and leave. We’re trying to build a culture. We’re trying to go the entire distance this year. We’ve got all the guys that are ready to do that. It’s going to be a fun year.”
Eflin pitched to four batters during live batting practice at Ed Smith Stadium on Monday, and six months after surgery, he’s feeling fine.
“It’s a blessing,” Eflin said. “To be honest, there’s no other way to put it. It’s really hard to describe an injury, not even physically, but on the mental side. You convince yourself you can do things, you go out there, you just can’t do it and your back shuts down, and it takes over your mind. I can’t pick up my kids, and there are thoughts in your head: ‘Can I continue to do this?’
“If I didn’t get surgery, I don’t think I’d be able to pitch anymore. Being able to get the surgery and feeling the way that I do really refreshed me. I’m able to be a better dad. I can throw my kids around. I can play with them.
“I can come out and throw a baseball and not feel anything, so I’m really thankful for where I am, and not to put it too far aside, the love and the loyalty I felt from the team to bring me back really was encouraging. I feel like I’m in a good spot.”
Before his live batting practice session, Eflin listened to control owner David Rubenstein and minority owner Michael Arougheti encourage the team, something he said he appreciated.
“Especially with everybody in the organization in the room, I think it’s very important to hear,” Eflin said. “Hear their words and hear what they have to say. It was basically just a big culture talk. We pride ourselves on being good teammates, but we’re trying to marry it with bringing an intensity, a competitiveness, pushing each other and ultimately having fun every day.
“It’s nice to hear their words. Sometimes it’s common. Sometimes it’s not. It’s really good when the owner of the team has a lot of passion for the club. We love hearing that.”
Call for questions: I answer Orioles questions most weekdays. Please send yours to: [email protected].