Zach Neal


Zachary Sheridan Neal is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Saitama Seibu Lions of Nippon Professional Baseball. He previously played in Major League Baseball for the Oakland Athletics and the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Career

Florida Marlins

Neal played college baseball at Sam Houston State University, Howard College, and the University of Oklahoma. He was drafted by the Florida Marlins in the 17th round of the 2010 Major League Baseball draft.

Oakland Athletics

In 2013, he signed a minor league deal with the Oakland Athletics.
Neal was called up to the majors for the first time on May 11, 2016. Despite posting a low strikeout rate, Neal was a solid contributor for Oakland, appearing in 24 games, 6 spot starts. He finished with a 2-4 record and 2 saves. On January 18, 2017, he was designated for assignment by Oakland. He cleared waivers and was assigned to the Triple-A Nashville Sounds. He began the 2017 season with Nashville, but was called up to the Athletics on May 24. He was twice optioned back to Nashville and recalled during the season before being designated for assignment on August 16. He elected to become a free agent after the season.

Los Angeles Dodgers

On January 6, 2018, Neal signed a minor league contract that included an invite to spring training with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He was added to the Dodgers major league roster on April 3. After pitching in one inning for the Dodgers, he was designated for assignment on April 5.
On April 17, 2018, the Dodgers traded Neal and Ibandel Isabel to the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for Ariel Hernández. He was assigned to the Louisville Bats. However, on July 4, he was traded back to the Dodgers in exchange for James Marinan and Aneurys Zabala. He pitched in 14 games for the Oklahoma City Dodgers, starting 11 of them, and finished with a 3–2 record and 4.40 ERA. Neal declared free agency on October 11, 2018.

Saitama Seibu Lions

Neal signed with the Saitama Seibu Lions of Nippon Professional Baseball for the 2019 season.