Dismantling the 2008 World Championship team may have ripped the heart out of Phillies fans.

The assets assembled as a result of these moves might only be in their infancy, but they are beginning to take shape.Today in Toronto, another one of those assets received a first taste of the big leagues as prized pitching prospect Zach Eflin made his debut.Eflin was 5-2 with 2.90 ERA for the IronPigs, averaging over six innings per start.Eflin's latest start with the Pigs was pushed back from Tuesday to Saturday."I think everybody had a good idea when he missed a start," said Jake Thompson, Eflin's roommate for over a year. "But then we were kind of 50/50 because he had had a lot of 100-pitch outings so their was a chance they might just be giving him rest."When the news out of Philadelphia indicated that starting pitcher Vincent Velasquez was headed to the 15-day DL for a strained biceps, Pigs manager Dave Brundage informed Eflin that the start would now be moved up from Saturday to Thursday. It was an indicator that Eflin would fill the vacant spot in the Phillies rotation.Thursday's game resulted in a 75-pitch limit for Eflin who took the loss in a 2-1 affair in Gwinnett. Shortly before the IronPigs were set to take batting practice on Friday, Eflin was called into Brundage's office where he was met by a group of coaches."(Brundage) explained what had been going on with the rotation and why it was pushed back," Eflin explained. "He told me I was pitching in Toronto on Tuesday.""The young man has earned the right to get an opportunity and hopefully he opens some eyes there as well," Brundage said. "I know he's really thrown the ball well here. Twenty-two years old, he's polished beyond his years and mature beyond his years."The youngest pitcher in the International League has earned it. He started the season 5-0 through his first eight starts. That stretch also included three double-digit scoreless streaks including a stretch in May of 17.1 innings. He also has a league-leading WHIP of 0.88.As the news sunk in, the meeting turned emotional as a tearful Eflin hugged Brundage and thanked the coaches.The dream of the boy calling his dad to tell of the news was quite different from Eflin's reality."I tried to call my dad and he got nine missed calls," Eflin recalled Friday night. "He was in a meeting at work, but I finally got in touch with him."Another emotional conversation took place as Larry Eflin told his son how proud he was of all he had done. Zach returned the thanks in kind."I just thanked him for everything he's done for me to get to this point," Eflin said.It will be even more exiting as Larry has not yet seen Zach pitch this season. He will be in Toronto today to see his son make his Major League debut.Eflin, originally drafted by the Padres in 2012, was traded to the Dodgers in a deal that sent Matt Kemp to San Diego. It was in December, 2014, that Eflin was sent to Philadelphia in the deal for Jimmy Rollins. Last year, the Pensacola, Florida native earned an 8-6 record with a 3.69 ERA at Double-A Reading.Thompson, like the rest of the close knit IronPigs, is excited for their teammate's fortunes."It's cool. He's the first one of our friends that has gotten the call up," Thompson said. "It's exciting to see him go up there and see how he does in Toronto.Eflin is not the only pitcher turning heads. Thompson, who came over in the Cole Hamels deal, has a 5-5 record with a 3.42 ERA. His record has been hindered greatly by a slow start. Over his last six starts, Thompson is 4-1 with a 2.89 ERA.Recently promoted Ben Lively is undefeated this year. He is a combined 10-0 with a 1.94 ERA in starts with Reading and Lehigh Valley. Lively was also named the IL Pitcher of the week for winning both of his starts last week and giving up only one earned run over 13 innings pitched."It's awesome for me to see that the Phillies are actually willing to bring up some of these young guys that had success here," Thompson said.For Eflin, he will no longer have to dream about being a Major League pitcher when he takes the mound today for the Phillies."It will sink in when I step out on the mound in Toronto, take a couple deep breaths and look around," Eflin said.For the others, they will just have to wait for their turn to make 'the call' home.For Thompson, it's also time to find a new roommate.