Justin De Fratus

Justin Andrew De Fratus

• Bats Both, Throws Right
• Height 6' 4", Weight 215 lb.
• School Ventura College
• High School Rio Mesa High School
• Debut September 18, 2011
• Final Game October 3, 2015
• Born October 21, 1987 in Ventura, CA USA

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Biographical information

Justin De Fratus reached the majors with the Philadelphia Phillies in 2011.

De Fratus was picked by the Phillies in the 11th round of the 2007 amateur draft. He was signed by scout Tim Kissner and made his pro debut for the GCL Phillies, going 2-3 with a 4.30 ERA and walking only three batters in 46 innings. Moving up to the Williamsport Crosscutters in 2008, Justin had a 6-5, 3.67 record. He led the New York-Penn League with 83 1/3 innings. In 2009, the right-hander went 5-6 with three saves and a 3.19 ERA for the Lakewood BlueClaws with 16 walks to 101 whiffs in 110 innings.

Moving full-time to the bullpen in 2010, the Californian did very well with the Clearwater Threshers (2-0, 15 Sv, 1.79, 43 K in 40 1/3 IP) and Reading Phillies (1-0, 6 Sv, 2.19, 28 K in 24 2/3 IP, .89 WHIP). He made the Team USA roster for the 2010 COPABE Pan American Games Qualifying Tournament; the US won spots in both the 2011 Baseball World Cup and 2011 Pan American Games. He split most of 2011 between Reading (4-0, 8 Sv, 2.10, 43 K in 34 1/3 IP) and the Lehigh Valley IronPigs (2-3, 7 Sv, 3.73, 56 K in 41 IP) for a combined 6-3, 15 Sv, 2.99 record and .227 opponent average.

He was called up by the Phillies in September 2011 and made his big league debut. Relieving Joe Blanton in the 9th with a 5-0 deficit, he retired Lance Berkman on a fly and Yadier Molina on a pop-up. Rafael Furcal walked, but Jon Jay grounded into an inning-ending force.

De Fratus again split 2012 between the majors and minors within the Phillies organization. His minor league service was split between the GCL Phillies, Clearwater, and Lehigh Valley squads, combining for a 0-1, 3 Sv, 2.10 ERA record over 25 1/3 IP. Recalled to the Phillies in September 2012 he appeared in 13 games compiling a 3.38 ERA in 10 2/3 IP with no decisions or saves.

De Fratus was scheduled to be bullpen coach of the Oklahoma City Dodgers in 2020 before the season was cancelled due to COVID-19, then was bullpen coach for OKC in 2021-2022. He moved over to pitching coach alongside Doug Mathis for Oklahoma City in 2023. The pair guided the pitching staff to lead the Pacific Coast League in ERA, WHIP, opponent batting average, and strikeouts while allowing the fewest runs and hits, as well as the second-fewest walks and third-fewest home runs. Both DeFratus and Mathis returned to the temporarily rebranded Oklahoma City Baseball Club in 2024.

His brother, Steven De Fratus, played in the minor leagues for three seasons.

Related Sites

• Justin De Fratus on mlb.com