Getting that call that you’re going to the show is any player's lifelong dream. On June 3rd, that was Zach McCambley’s reality, and in his first big league appearance, he made the most of it. The righty walked into Great American Ballpark and shoved two punchouts in 0.2 innings pitched.
However, as smooth as his Major League debut seemed on paper, McCambley wasn't exactly zeroed in during his big moment.
“I don't even remember running out to the mound, that's for starters," McCambley said with a smile. "Second, I didn't know how many outs there were, so I struck out my first batter I faced up there and started walking off the field, and then figured out very quickly that we play three outs at that level.”
Perhaps what made it so surreal is that it happened so quickly with some major changes. To show how big a moment this was for McCambley and his journey, we need to go back two weeks.
On May 21st, McCambley was involved in a trade that sent Rece Hinds to Jacksonville, and from there he would hit the ground running with Louisville. Just three days after the trade, he came in relief and pitched a scoreless 1.2 innings with one strikeout. Three days later, he went 2.0 innings and allowed only one run.
“It was a whirlwind,” McCambley commented. “I almost feel like I haven't really had a second to like kind of like decompress the situation over the whole year.”
The Bats couldn’t be happier that he is a key piece of the Bats' bullpen, and head man Pat Kelly has seen a lot he likes from the young righty.
“It’s hard for guys that get to go up and down, especially early in their career,” Kelly said. “But I think Zach has handled it very well; he’s got great stuff, and he’s making a few tweaks in his delivery, and it looks like it’s working out well for him.”
McCambley is used to facing adversity and hardship. Even going back to his college days, he has had to adjust on a dime. In his days at Coastal Carolina, his junior season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and things were looking up for him that year, posting a 3-1 record in 25.0 innings pitched while only allowing five earned runs in those four starts.
Although he had a potential breakout year cut short, McCambley never wavered. When looking back on it, McCambley had a really positive outlook and philosophy on the season getting cut short.
“I wouldn’t change it because I had a tough sophomore season,” McCambley said. “But I was able to go to the Cape Cod League, figure some things out there and take that into my junior year. If you play a full season that year, who knows how you perform, but I was just happy and blessed enough to sneak in that five-round draft in 2020, so I’m thankful for it.”
The draft in 2020 is not his only time getting drafted either. He was subjected to the Rule 5 draft, and the Philadelphia native got selected by his hometown club, the Phillies, in 2025. Although he did not make the team out of spring training, he remained positive and took all of the experiences he had with him back to Jacksonville.
“As far as my experience over there, I have no complaints," he said. "I thought it was awesome. Met a lot of good people, and a lot of stud players.”
The same as his collegiate and professional journey, his path on the mound was not an easy one. While having some elite stuff, both Coastal and Jacksonville would move McCambley from the bullpen to starter, rotating him in both roles trying to figure out which suited him better.
“Starting and relieving are definitely two different animals, two different beasts,” he said. “They both have their challenges, but I think it’s easier when a team is only seeing you one time through a lineup versus three times. as a starter, I would kind of just get caught up in the third time through the lineup so ultimately, just myself played better out of the pen.”
That philosophy is sound for McCambley, and the stats back it up. He displays a 2.59 ERA on the year in 48.2 innings, while striking out 59 total batters between Louisville and Jacksonville.
While maintaining those numbers with the Bats, McCambley has had to lean on some key veteran mentorship to help walk him through the process of being up and down in the Reds organization.
“When I went up to Cincinnati, the veterans were they were super awesome to me,” he said. “They made sure that I had everything taken care of. Showed me the ropes. Pagan, Pierce, Moll, all those guys.”
Although he was up in the Reds pen, a familiar Bats face made sure to acclimate the newcomer in both Cincinnati and Louisville.
“When I got traded, Maxwell was up in the big leagues at the time when I got called up,” McCambley said. “So he was kind of like telling me along the lines what I need to be doing, you know, different things that you need to know.”
When arriving in Louisville, seeing a whole new organization and a whole other way of doing things can be difficult for a young player, especially when it is unexpected, like a trade. McCambley felt that unease, but seeing people he’s been familiar with prior to Louisville has made his transition that much easier for him. Catcher Will Banfield came up through the Marlins system with McCambley for a while before he came to the Reds in November of 2024. On top of that, there are some other Bats players he has had previous connections with.
“I knew Trevor Kuncl from the offseason; we worked out together,” McCambley said. “I knew Maxwell from the fall league, so when you come to a new team, and you go from playing with the same 30 guys to a whole new squad, it kind of makes it a little easier when you know some people over here already.”
Now, with him going up and down, McCambley looks to continue to have tunnel vision for the Bats to make an impact at all levels. The 27-year-old has a lot in the tank, and he looks to give it all to his new home.
“At the end of the day, it’s baseball," McCambley said. “You kind of just got to keep the main thing to main thing, and kind of leave all the external things external and leave them out there.”
Even though he hasn’t had much time with his new organization, McCambley has made himself comfortable with the people in the clubhouse and feels the love from the staff and people in the front office.
His whirlwind of a journey only continues, as after retiring a single batter in the Bats' game against Indianapolis on July 29, McCambley was recalled back to the Reds' bullpen a day later. Despite the constant adjustments, McCambley cannot wait for what's in store with his future in Cincinnati.
“Everybody here is so awesome,” he said with a smile. “I mean, I love where I'm at. I love the staff. I love the organization here. All the guys are awesome. I couldn't be happier with where I'm at.”