*Photo from Arizona Sports*
Zac Gallen is a name you've probably never heard of. He hasn't been around that long, he hasn't made national headlines, he went to UNC Chapel Hill, a branch of a big name school. He hasn't played for a big market team. But don't let that fool you. Zac Gallen is a very good pitcher. In my humble opinion, he will be an NL Cy Young finalist in 2021. Here's why.
Let's start off by looking at Gallen's career stats. In the 2020 season, Gallen's second in the league, he went 3-2 with a 2.75 ERA in 12 starts for the Diamondbacks, striking out 82 hitters in 72 innings pitched for the Diamondbacks. In Gallen's two seasons, he has a 6-8 record with a 2.78 ERA in 27 career starts, with 178 total strikeouts in 152 innings, split between the Miami Marlins and the Diamondbacks.
Let's dive a little further into that. In his short big league career, Gallen's 2.78 ERA is good for 4th best in the NL among starters with 150 innings pitched. He misses a lot of bats, averaging over 10 strikeouts per 9 innings. In terms of his FIP, which is an analytic stat that measures pitcher effectiveness, it's better than some top pitching names in baseball, such as Phillies ace Aaron Nola and Nationals starter Patrick Corbin.
Gallen does have one big flaw in his short career, which would be walks. Gallen walked 36 hitters in 2019, and another 25 last season, totaling 61 in his two seasons. That's the thing that has prevented Gallen from being elite. But another full season with Arizona should help him lower that total, improving his game further.
So, Zac Gallen for NL Cy Young anyone? It very well could happen, and very soon, because Gallen is about to break out, and you'll notice this time.
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