Zach Plesac

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Zach Robert Plesac

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Biographical Information[edit]

Zach Plesac is the nephew of Dan Plesac and a cousin of brothers Blaze Alexander and C.J. Alexander. Another uncle, Joe Plesac, spent time in the minor leagues.

He joined Ball State University in 2014 and went 12-2 with a 2.11 ERA and 6 saves in 25 games (6 starts) to earn Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Freshman Pitcher of the Year honors. He was also named to the American Baseball Coaches Association/Rawlings All-Midwest Region Team, a National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Freshman All-American, a Louisville Slugger Third Team All-American, the Mid-American Conference Freshman Pitcher of the Year and a Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-American. In 2015, he was 5-5 with a 3.27 ERA in 16 starts to earn All-MAC Second Team honors. He also played for the Wareham Gatemen of the Cape Cod League that year. Scout.com said he "has a chance to be a top-three round selection [in 2016]." He was eventually taken in the 12th round of the 2016 amateur draft by the Cleveland Indians and made his professional debut with the Mahoning Valley Scrappers of the New York-Penn League in 2017.

He reached the majors with the Indians at the end of May in 2019 and quickly secured a regular turn in the starting rotation, taking advantage of openings created by a rash of injuries. On September 10th, he pitched his first career complete game and shutout in defeating the Los Angeles Angels, 4-0, on a four-hitter. He was the first Indians rookie to pitch a shutout since Jeremy Sowers in 2006. He had a good rookie season, making 21 starts and pitching 115 2/3 innings, ending up at 8-6, 3.81. On August 9, 2020, he became the first player to be disciplined by his own team for breaking health and safety protocols put in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19. He had been seen the night before leaving the team's hotel in Chicago, IL without authorization. The Indians sent him home immediately and placed him in isolation until tests could demonstrate that he had not been infected. Teammate Mike Clevinger was then found to have also gone out that fateful evening and was also suspended. Plesac tried to justify himself in a video minimizing what he had done, but it went over like the proverbial lead balloon, as it seemed to demonstrate that he was still completely impervious to how stupid his actions had been. By the time he took the mound again on September 1st, Clevinger had been traded and he had had some time to reflect on his conduct, apologizing to his teammates before reeling off 6 innings of a one-run ball in a 10-1 victory over the Kansas City Royals. On September 18th, he threw an immaculate inning in the 2nd inning of a 1-0 victory over the Detroit Tigers. He finished the season at 4-2, 2.28 in 8 starts, with an outstanding K/W ratio of 57/6 in 55 1/3 innings. He did not pitch in the postseason, as the Indians were eliminated in two games by the New York Yankees in the Wild Card Series, with Shane Bieber and Carlos Carrasco starting the two games.

On May 13, 2021, he took the attention away from the joint major league debuts of first-rounders Jarred Kelenic and Logan Gilbert for the Seattle Mariners by nearly no-hitting them. He held Seattle hitless through the first seven innings before J.P. Crawford led off the 8th with a single, and Dylan Moore hit a two-run homer later in the frame. He left the game after that inning, then almost lost the win as well when closer Emmanuel Clase walked the bases loaded in the 9th before Bryan Shaw bailed him out, preserving Zach's 4-2 win. When the Indians were no-hit through a combined performance by Corbin Burnes and Josh Hader of the Milwaukee Brewers on September 11th, it marked a record third time that Zach was on the losing end of a no-hitter. He had also been the losing pitcher when Carlos Rodón of the Chicago White Sox tossed a no-hitter on April 14th, and when Wade Miley of the Cincinnati Reds did so on May 7th, as the Indians were the first team ever to be no-hit three times in a single season. He finished the year at10-6, 4.27 in 25 starts, with 100 strikeouts in 142 2/3 innings.

In 2022, the Indians became the Cleveland Guardians and won a division title in their first season under their new guise. He made 24 starts in 25 appearances that year, going 3-12 in spite of a not awful 4.31 ERA while playing in front of a decent team. Obviously, this was the worst record among the Guardians' starters, and he was relegated to bullpen duty in the postseason, making his only appearance in Game 4 of the Division Series against the New York Yankees on October 16th, when he pitched a hitless inning in a 4-2 loss. Things then went even worse in 2023 as he was limited to 5 starts, going 1-1, 7.59, before being sent down to the minor leagues, where he did not pitch much better: in 19 games (18 starts) for the AAA Columbus Clippers, he was 5-6, 6.08, giving up 98 hits and 42 walks in 94 2/3 innings.

He became a free agent after the season, and with the Guardians organization producing a number of young pitchers, he had to switch teams. The Los Angeles Angels took a flyer on him, signing him to a deal on December 30, 2023.

Further Reading[edit]

  • Rhett Bollinger: "Angels agree to MLB deal with RHP Plesac", mlb.com, December 31, 2023. [1]
  • Jace Evans: "Cleveland Indians send pitcher Zach Plesac home for violating COVID-19 protocols", USA Today, August 9, 2020. [2]

Related Sites[edit]

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