Justin Andrew De Fratus (born October 21, 1987), is an American former professional baseball relief pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies, from (–). De Fratus grew up in Oxnard, California and played baseball in high school prior to playing at Ventura College. The Philadelphia Phillies selected him in the 11th round of the 2007 Major League Baseball draft. De Fratus methodically moved his way up through the Phillies farm system, spending about one year at each level, from rookie to Class A, and then moving through two levels per season in and . In 2011, De Fratus made his MLB debut and, by , he was a regular member of the Phillies bullpen after a few years of splitting time between the big leagues and Triple-A. In , De Fratus used his slider to "dominate the league", and establish himself as a reliable reliever, capable of pitching in late-inning situations. De Fratus has a two-pitch repertoire that consists of a fastball and a slider, the latter of which is his out pitch. He embraces a propensity to work quickly on the mound, and use a lower arm slot. Off the field, De Fratus is a member of the Roman Catholic church, and uses baseball to strengthen his faith. He sees evangelism as a duty of Christians, and would like to go to seminary when he finishes his baseball career. Early life De Fratus attended Rio Mesa High School in Oxnard, California, from which he graduated in 2005; he was a fan of the Los Angeles Dodgers. His high school coach, David Soliz, asserted that he could pitch in the major leagues for a long time, saying, "He definitely has the stuff to pitch in the majors. Justin has the stuff, but he also has the confidence. The odds were against him being drafted in the 11th round out of Ventura College." De Fratus was the first Rio Mesa player to reach the majors during Soliz's tenure. He went on to attend Ventura College where, like at Rio Mesa, he was a starting pitcher. Professional career Philadelphia Phillies The Phillies selected De Fratus with the 353rd overall pick in the 11th round of the 2007 Major League Baseball draft, and assigned him to the Gulf Coast League Phillies, the Phillies' rookie level minor league affiliate, with whom he went 2–3 with a 4.30 earned run