On Aug. 10, 25-year-old Max Lazar made his debut in Major League Baseball for the Philadelphia Phillies. The right-handed reliever is now the 73rd player to have played in both the MLB and the modern-day Australian Baseball League. Lazar pitched for the Brisbane Bandits in the ABL in the 2022-2023 season.
Lazar is from Coral Springs, Florida, and was drafted out of Coral Springs High School in 2017 by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 11th round. Lazar spent six years in the Brewers minor leagues and dealt with injuries that sidelined him for multiple seasons.
In 2022, Lazar played with the Brisbane Bandits in the ABL and enjoyed a successful season. In 46 innings of work, Lazar had a 4-3 record and 3.72 ERA and contributed to the Bandits’ team, which finished 30-10 as the best team in the regular season.
The ABL must have given Lazar a great opportunity to improve, as when he returned to the MiLB, his statistics were better than before. He returned to the Brewers minor leagues for the remainder of 2023 and signed a minor league contract with the Philadelphia Phillies for the 2024 season.
In 2024, between Double-A and Triple-A, Lazar had a 1.79 ERA in 40 1/3 innings out of the bullpen. This successful campaign in the minors led to him getting called up to the National League East, leading the Phillies to bolster their bullpen. In his two Major League games against the Arizona Diamondbacks, he’s pitched 2 1/3 innings while striking out three batters. Lazar has yet to allow a run at the big-league level.
Lazar joins notable players like Liam Hendricks, Kevin Kiermaier, Didi Gregorius, and Rhys Hoskins as players to play in both the modern ABL and the MLB. 73 players, including Lazar, have played in the modern ABL and MLB. 166 players have played in the MLB and ABL. The first version of the Australian Baseball League, which was active from 1989 to 1999, is included.
The current version of the ABL was founded in 2009 and is now fully owned by the Australian Baseball Federation. Initially, the MLB owned 75% of the ABL, but the ABF took full ownership before the 2016 ABL season.
Lazar has a fastball, curveball, and cutter and has relied on the fastball primarily in his short time in the Majors. Despite only throwing his fastball at about 93 miles per hour on average, he routinely possesses a low home run percentage. In a bullpen that has struggled at times, Lazar, along with additions at the trade deadline, has been a boost to the bullpen for the Phillies.
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WBN MLB: https://worldbaseball.com/league/mlb/
Photo Credit: Relief pitcher Max Lazar #60 of the Philadelphia Phillies pitches against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the eighth inning of his MLB debut at Chase Field on August 10, 2024 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images)
