Zac Kristofak

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Zachary Kristofak

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Biographical Information[edit]

As a teenager, pitcher Zac Kristofak survived a terrible tragedy as his father murdered his mother in 2012 at the family home in the suburbs of Atlanta, GA. He made it his mission to be a success in baseball, and through this to help others who also had to overcome difficult circumstances. He was raised by his grandparents after the tragedy.

He was drafted by the Los Angeles Angels in the 14th round of the 2019 amateur draft out of the University of Georgia, after having declined an offer from his hometown team, the Atlanta Braves, who had taken him in the 37th round of the 2016 amateur draft coming out of high school. His first pro season, with the Orem Owlz of the Pioneer League in 2019 was a bit difficult, as he went 2-3, 6.15 in 19 games. he then had to sit out the 2020 season when the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the minor leagues. He posted another high ERA when he resumed his career in 2021, going 1-2, 6.14 in 38 games for the Tri-City Dust Devils in what was called the High-A West that year only. The circuit reverted to its traditional name, the Northwest League, in 2022 and for the first time, he was given an opportunity to start a few games in addition to his traditional role out of the bullpen. He had his best season, going 1-3, 3.82 in 34 games, including 9 starts, with 60 strikeouts in 63 2/3 innings.

Zac moved to AA with the Rocket City Trash Pandas in 2023, a team loaded with pitching prospects, partly as a result of the Angels having used every single one of their picks in the 2021 amateur draft on pitchers. He missed time, appearing in just 16 games, 6 of them starts, but pitched well when healthy, going 4-3, 4.07 in 42 innings. He moved up to the AAA Salt Lake Bees in 2024, continuing to be used as a swingman: 3 of his first 6 appearances came as a starter, and he was 1-0, 3.38 when he got the call to Los Angeles to help out a tired bullpen. He made his debut on April 28th, pitching in relief against the Minnesota Twins; he gave up 3 hits and 2 walks in 2 innings, resulting in two runs, both of which were unearned due to an error committed by 2B Brandon Drury on a routine grounder by the first batter he faced, Austin Martin. He closed out an 11-5 loss.

At 5'9", he is considered under-sized for a righthanded pitcher, but he makes up for this with excellent control and an ability to pitch in different roles.

Further Reading[edit]

  • Rhett Bollinger: "Kristofak overcomes tragedy, makes MLB debut", mlb.com, April 28, 2024. [1]

Related Sites[edit]

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