Zac Gallen

Zachary Peter Gallen (born August 3, 1995) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut with the Miami Marlins in 2019.

Zac Gallen
Gallen with the Miami Marlins in 2018
Arizona Diamondbacks – No. 23
Pitcher
Born: (1995-08-03) August 3, 1995
Somerdale, New Jersey, U.S.
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
MLB debut
June 20, 2019, for the Miami Marlins
MLB statistics
(through May 13, 2023)
Win–loss record27–23
Earned run average3.01
Strikeouts579
Teams

Early life

Gallen was born on August 3, 1995, in Somerdale, New Jersey,[1] to Jim and Stacy Gallen.[2] When he was five years old, he refused to play tee-ball with his peers, instead demanding to play Little League Baseball with the Somerdale team; Gallen was taken in the third round of the Little League draft by his father's team and would play with children between seven and nine years old.[3] At the age of 11, Gallen joined the Tri-state Arsenal Baseball Academy in New Jersey, where he served as a pitcher and second baseman.[4]

Amateur career

He attended Bishop Eustace Preparatory School in Pennsauken Township, New Jersey and played three years of college baseball at the University of North Carolina.[5][6] After the 2014 and 2015 seasons, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Chatham Anglers of the Cape Cod Baseball League.[7][8] During his junior year in 2016, he went 4–3 with a 2.79 ERA along with limiting opponents to a .231 batting average. He was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the third round of the 2016 Major League Baseball draft.[9][10]

Professional career

St. Louis Cardinals

Gallen made his professional debut with the Gulf Coast Cardinals, posting a 1.86 ERA with 15 strikeouts in 9.2 innings pitched. He started 2017 with the Palm Beach Cardinals and was later promoted to the Springfield Cardinals and Memphis Redbirds.[11] He finished 2017 with a combined 10–8 record, a 2.93 ERA, and a 1.17 WHIP in 26 starts between all three clubs.[12]

Miami Marlins

On December 14, 2017, the Cardinals traded Gallen to the Miami Marlins (along with Sandy Alcántara, Magneuris Sierra, and Daniel Castano) for Marcell Ozuna.[13] He was a non-roster invitee to 2018 spring training.[14] He spent the season with the New Orleans Baby Cakes, going 8–9 with a 3.65 ERA and a 1.47 WHIP in 25 starts.[15] He returned to New Orleans to begin 2019.[16]

On June 20, 2019, his contract was selected and he was called up to the major leagues for the first time.[17] He made his debut that night in a start versus the St. Louis Cardinals, recording six strikeouts and giving up one earned run over five innings pitched.[18]

Arizona Diamondbacks
Gallen in 2020

On July 31, 2019, the Marlins traded Gallen to the Arizona Diamondbacks for shortstop Jazz Chisholm Jr.[19] In eight starts for Arizona, Gallen was 2–3 with a 2.89 ERA in 43+2⁄3 innings, striking out 53 in the process. In 2020, Gallen continued his success from the previous season, recording 82 strikeouts in 72 innings. He also finished with an ERA of 2.75 and a 3–2 record.

Gallen returned to the Diamondbacks' rotation for 2022. Starting with an August 2 win over the Cleveland Guardians, he posted 34+1⁄3 scoreless innings before being named the NL Pitcher of the Month for August.[20] The scoreless streak continued until a September 11 win over the Colorado Rockies, totaling 44+1⁄3 innings. It broke Brandon Webb's club record of 42, achieved in 2007, and was the seventh-longest in major league history. In the streak, Gallen produced six consecutive games started without allowing a run, tying the major league record.[21] In 2022, Gallen went 12–4 with a 2.54 ERA in 184 innings, finishing fifth in NL Cy Young voting. He also led the majors in pickoff throws to first base, with 144.[22][23]

On January 13, 2023, Gallen agreed to a one-year, $5.6 million contract with the Diamondbacks, avoiding salary arbitration.[24]

References
  1. "Zac Gallen Stats, Fantasy & News". MLB.com. MLB Advanced Media. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
  2. Buchanan, Zach (September 25, 2020). "The insatiable desire to win – and silence his doubters – that fuels Zac Gallen". The Athletic. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
  3. Minnick, Kevin (June 10, 2016). "MLB Draft: Gallen taken by Cardinals". Courier-Post. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
  4. Jasko, Matt (July 9, 2015). "Pitch and Catch: Zac Gallen and Nick Sciortino's Journey from Jersey to Cape Cod". Chatham Anglers. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
  5. "Baseball: Bishop Eustace's Gallen commits to North Carolina". Philly.com. October 9, 2012. Retrieved August 27, 2017.
  6. Kevin Minnick, @cp_varsity (June 29, 2014). "Eustace grad Gallen pitching in Cape Cod League". Courierpostonline.com. Retrieved August 27, 2017.
  7. "#41 Zac Gallen - Profile". pointstreak.com. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
  8. "#24 Zac Gallen - Profile". pointstreak.com. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
  9. "MLB DRAFT: Gallen taken by Cardinals". Courierpostonline.com. June 10, 2016. Retrieved August 27, 2017.
  10. "Cardinals take Bishop Eustace grad Zac Gallen with 106th pick - NJ.com". Highschoolsports.nj.com. June 10, 2016. Retrieved August 27, 2017.
  11. "Cards minor league report: Gallen switching things up at Palm Beach | St. Louis Cardinals". stltoday.com. May 28, 2017. Retrieved August 27, 2017.
  12. "Zac Gallen Stats, Highlights, Bio - MiLB.com Stats - The Official Site of Minor League Baseball". Retrieved October 31, 2017.
  13. Frisaro, Joe (December 14, 2017). "Trade finalized: Ozuna dealt for STL prospects". MLB.com. Retrieved December 14, 2017.
  14. "Marlins set to bring several top prospects to major league spring training". Sun Sentinel. Retrieved February 18, 2018.
  15. "Zac Gallen Stats, Highlights, Bio - MiLB.com Stats - The Official Site of Minor League Baseball". MiLB.com. Retrieved October 16, 2018.
  16. "Miami Marlins Minor Leagues: Gone Fishin' 4/4/19". 4 April 2019.
  17. Jordan McPherson (June 19, 2019). "Miami Marlins to call up Zac Gallen, obtained in Ozuna trade, to face his former team". Miami Herald. Retrieved June 19, 2019.
  18. Jordan McPherson (June 20, 2019). "Gallen solid in debut, and the Marlins beat the Cardinals in extras to split series". Miami Herald. Retrieved June 21, 2019.
  19. Nick Piecoro (July 31, 2019). "Diamondbacks flip lottery ticket in prospect Jazz Chisholm for MLB-ready starter Zac Gallen". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved July 31, 2019.
  20. Murphy, Brian (September 2, 2022). "August Pitchers of the Month: Rasmussen, Gallen". MLB.com. Retrieved September 2, 2022.
  21. McDermott, Michael (September 12, 2022). "Zac Gallen's scoreless streak: By the numbers". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved May 3, 2023.
  22. "Statcast Custom Leaderboards". baseballsavant.com.
  23. "Zac Gallen Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More". Baseball-Reference.com.
  24. "2023 MLB Arbitration Tracker". MLBTradeRumors. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
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