Wikipedia

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 played college baseball for the North Carolina Tar Heels for three seasons before being drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the third round of the 2016 MLB draft.

Zac Gallen
Gallen with the Miami Marlins in 2018
Arizona Diamondbacks – No. 23
Pitcher
Born: (1995-08-03) August 3, 1995 (age 29)
Somerdale, New Jersey, U.S.
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
MLB debut
June 20, 2019, for the Miami Marlins
MLB statistics
(through 2024 season)
Win–loss record53–37
Earned run average3.29
Strikeouts885
Teams
Career highlights and awards

Gallen was traded to the Miami Marlins in 2017 and made his MLB debut with the team in 2019. He was traded to the Diamondbacks midway through the 2019 season. In 2023, he was named the starting pitcher for the National League in the All-Star Game and helped the Diamondbacks reach the 2023 World Series.

Early life and amateur career

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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 [3] father's team and would play with children between seven and nine years old.[4] 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.[5]

Gallen attended Bishop Eustace Preparatory School in Pennsauken Township, New Jersey, and the University of North Carolina, where he played college baseball for the North Carolina Tar Heels for three seasons.[6][7] After the 2014 and 2015 seasons, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Chatham Anglers of the Cape Cod Baseball League.[8][9] During his junior year in 2016, he had a 4–3 win–loss record with a 2.79 earned run average (ERA) along with a .231 batting average against.[10][11]

Professional career

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St. Louis Cardinals

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The St. Louis Cardinals, the team for which Gallen had rooted growing up,[12] selected Gallen in the third round of the 2016 Major League Baseball draft.[10][11] He made his professional debut with the Gulf Coast Cardinals, posting a 1.86 ERA with 15 strikeouts in 9+2⁄3 innings pitched. He started the 2017 season with the Palm Beach Cardinals and was later promoted to the Springfield Cardinals and Memphis Redbirds.[13] He finished the 2017 season with a combined 10–8 record, a 2.93 ERA, and a 1.17 WHIP in 26 starts between all three clubs.[14]

Miami Marlins

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On December 14, 2017, the Cardinals traded Gallen along with Sandy Alcántara, Magneuris Sierra, and Daniel Castano to the Miami Marlins for Marcell Ozuna.[15] Gallen later speculated that the Cardinals traded him to the Marlins because he was reluctant to attend a winter workout camp.[16] He was a non-roster invitee to 2018 spring training.[17] 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.[18] He returned to New Orleans to begin 2019.[19]

 
Gallen in 2020

On June 20, 2019, the Marlins promoted Gallen to the major leagues.[20] He made his debut that night in a start versus the Cardinals, recording six strikeouts and giving up one earned run over five innings pitched.[21]

Arizona Diamondbacks

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On July 31, 2019, the Marlins traded Gallen to the Arizona Diamondbacks for shortstop Jazz Chisholm Jr.[22] In eight starts for Arizona, Gallen was 2–3 with a 2.89 ERA in 43+2⁄3 innings, striking out 53. In 2020, Gallen recorded 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 consecutive scoreless innings before being named the National League (NL) Pitcher of the Month for August.[23] 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 is the seventh-longest in major league history. During the streak, Gallen produced six consecutive games started without allowing a run, tying the major league record.[24] Gallen won the NL Player of the Week Award for the week of August 29 – September 4[25] and the NL Pitcher of the Month Award for August.[26] For the 2022 season, Gallen went 12–4 with a 2.54 ERA and 192 strikeouts in 184 innings. He finished fifth in NL Cy Young voting.[27][28]

On January 13, 2023, Gallen agreed to a one-year, $5.6 million contract with the Diamondbacks, avoiding salary arbitration.[29] He was named NL Player of the Week for the week of April 10–16.[30] He was named to the 2023 MLB All-Star Game.[31] Gallen pitched six no-hit innings in Game 5 of the 2023 World Series, but Arizona lost the series.[32] For the 2023 season, Gallen went 17–9 with a 3.47 ERA and 220 strikeouts in 210 innings. He finished third in NL Cy Young voting.

References

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  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. ^ "Official Philadelphia Phillies Website". MLB.com. Retrieved October 25, 2023.
  4. ^ Minnick, Kevin (June 10, 2016). "MLB Draft: Gallen taken by Cardinals". Courier-Post. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ "Baseball: Bishop Eustace's Gallen commits to North Carolina". Philly.com. October 9, 2012. Retrieved August 27, 2017.
  7. ^ Kevin Minnick, @cp_varsity (June 29, 2014). "Eustace grad Gallen pitching in Cape Cod League". Courierpostonline.com. Retrieved August 27, 2017.
  8. ^ "#41 Zac Gallen - Profile". pointstreak.com. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
  9. ^ "#24 Zac Gallen - Profile". pointstreak.com. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
  10. ^ a b "MLB DRAFT: Gallen taken by Cardinals". Courierpostonline.com. June 10, 2016. Retrieved August 27, 2017.
  11. ^ a b "Cardinals take Bishop Eustace grad Zac Gallen with 106th pick - NJ.com". Highschoolsports.nj.com. June 10, 2016. Retrieved August 27, 2017.
  12. ^ McCullough, Andy. "For Diamondbacks ace Zac Gallen, NLCS start against Phillies is a special homecoming".
  13. ^ "Cards minor league report: Gallen switching things up at Palm Beach | St. Louis Cardinals". stltoday.com. May 28, 2017. Retrieved August 27, 2017.
  14. ^ "Zac Gallen Stats, Highlights, Bio - MiLB.com Stats - The Official Site of Minor League Baseball". Retrieved October 31, 2017.
  15. ^ Frisaro, Joe (December 14, 2017). "Trade finalized: Ozuna dealt for STL prospects". MLB.com. Retrieved December 14, 2017.
  16. ^ Diamondbacks Ace Still Feels Disrespected By Cardinals Trading Him In 2017, Nate Hagerty, Sports Illustrated, May 14, 2023
  17. ^ "Marlins set to bring several top prospects to major league spring training". Sun Sentinel. February 8, 2018. Retrieved February 18, 2018.
  18. ^ "Zac Gallen Stats, Highlights, Bio - MiLB.com Stats - The Official Site of Minor League Baseball". MiLB.com. Retrieved October 16, 2018.
  19. ^ "Miami Marlins Minor Leagues: Gone Fishin' 4/4/19". April 4, 2019.
  20. ^ 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.
  21. ^ 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.
  22. ^ 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.
  23. ^ Murphy, Brian (September 2, 2022). "August Pitchers of the Month: Rasmussen, Gallen". MLB.com. Retrieved September 2, 2022.
  24. ^ McDermott, Michael (September 12, 2022). "Zac Gallen's scoreless streak: By the numbers". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved May 3, 2023.
  25. ^ "Zac Gallen Wins NL Player of the Week". Sports Illustrated Arizona Diamondbacks News, Analysis and More. September 6, 2022.
  26. ^ "Arizona Diamondback's Zac Gallen wins August NL pitcher of the month - Northeast Valley News". Nevalleynews.org. September 8, 2022. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
  27. ^ "Statcast Custom Leaderboards". baseballsavant.com.
  28. ^ "Zac Gallen Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More". Baseball-Reference.com.
  29. ^ "2023 MLB Arbitration Tracker". MLBTradeRumors. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
  30. ^ Share (April 17, 2023). "Arizona Diamondbacks ace Zac Gallen named NL Player of the Week". Arizonasports.com. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
  31. ^ "The road to D-backs ace Zac Gallen's 1st All-Star selection". July 3, 2023.
  32. ^ "Rangers win 2023 World Series: Texas takes out Diamondbacks in Game 5 for first title in franchise history". November 2, 2023.
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