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Arizona Diamondbacks possess the most underrated gem in baseball

By Nick Stevens

PHOENIX, ARIZONA - AUGUST 28: Starting pitcher Zac Gallen #42 of the Arizona Diamondbacks throws a pitch against the San Francisco Giants during the first inning of the MLB game at Chase Field on August 28, 2020 in Phoenix, Arizona. All uniformed players and coaches are wearing #42 in honor of Jackie Robinson Day. The day honoring Jackie Robinson, traditionally held on April 15, was rescheduled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (Photo by Ralph Freso/Getty Images)
PHOENIX, ARIZONA - AUGUST 28: Starting pitcher Zac Gallen #42 of the Arizona Diamondbacks throws a pitch against the San Francisco Giants during the first inning of the MLB game at Chase Field on August 28, 2020 in Phoenix, Arizona. All uniformed players and coaches are wearing #42 in honor of Jackie Robinson Day. The day honoring Jackie Robinson, traditionally held on April 15, was rescheduled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (Photo by Ralph Freso/Getty Images) /
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Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Zac Gallen has gone from frequent trade piece to a darkhorse Cy Young candidate.

The 2020 season has been largely a disaster for the Arizona Diamondbacks, but there is one silver lining Diamondbacks fans can be excited about, starting pitcher Zac Gallen.

Arizona is currently 14-23 and 13.5 games out of first place in the National League West, Madison Bumgarner (signed a five-year/$85 million deal ahead of 2020) has made just four starts and put up a 9.35 ERA before hitting the Injured List due to back spasms, and Starling Marte, who was supposed to help lead the Arizona Diamondbacks to the playoffs, has been shipped to Miami.

Their two big offseason acquisitions haven’t panned out, while Robbie Ray, Archie Bradley, and Andrew Chafin were all dealt in deadline deals, signaling the end of the 2020 season for the Arizona Diamondbacks.

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Luckily for Arizona fans, Gallen is still in a Diamondbacks uniform and he’s quickly, and very quietly, emerging as one of the most dominant starting pitchers in baseball and a real darkhorse candidate for the National League Cy Young Award.

Gallen has made eight starts so far, posting a 1-0 record with a 1.80 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, and a .181 batting average against. He’s been so good at keeping teams off the scoreboard, that he hasn’t recorded a single loss while pitching for one of the worst teams in the major leagues.

Add Gallen to the list with Jacob deGrom as prime examples as to why a pitcher’s win/loss record tells us nothing about a pitcher’s performance, if anyone still happens to believe that.

Gallen has fanned 54 hitters in 50 innings of work and he’s seen his walk rate drop from nearly 11% in 2019 to just under 8% in 2020. Armed with an elite four-pitch mix, he’s striking out hitters with each pitch in his repertoire and keeping hitters guessing in each start.

Gallen’s four-seam fastball has held opponents to a .143 average, with only one of the eight hits allowed going for extra bases. His cutter has been hit the hardest, but it’s still produced a 30% whiff rate, meanwhile, Gallen’s changeup has produced a 40.5% whiff rate and his curveball has held hitters to a .036 average and been used to strikeout 13 of his 54 total punchouts.

It’s nearly impossible to find another pitcher in baseball who can command four different pitches the way Gallen has in 2020.

Gallen is coming off his best start of 2020, a seven-inning stint against the league’s top team in the Los Angeles Dodgers in which he allowed just one hit, struck out seven, and walked two. Of course, it still wasn’t enough to pick up a win.

In his two starts against the Dodgers this year, Gallen has allowed two runs over six hits while walking three and striking out 16.

If dominating the 2020 World Series favorite Dodgers isn’t enough, Zac Gallen made MLB history on Wednesday night after his seven shutout innings against LA.

He is the first pitcher in MLB history to allow three earned runs or less in his first 23 starts of his career, a brief career that saw him go 1-3 with a 2.72 ERA with the Miami Marlins in 2019 before being traded to Arizona where he finished his rookie season by striking out 53 across 43.2 innings and posting a 2.89 ERA across eight starts.

Originally drafted in the third round of the 2016 out of the University of North Carolina, Gallen remained with the St. Louis Cardinals system for less than two years before being traded to Miami as part of a package for Marcell Ozuna.

Less than two years later, Gallen was on the move again, being traded to Arizona for standout prospect Jazz Chisholm.

Gallen now has a home and it finally appears that he isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. The 2020 season may be one to forget for fans of the Arizona Diamondbacks, but the franchise has a 25-year-old Cy Young caliber arm to lead their rotation for at least the next five seasons and someone to build around as they try and find a way to compete in the now uber-competitive NL West.

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If you haven’t had the opportunity to watch Zac Gallen pitch this year, clear your schedule for his next start. You won’t be disappointed.

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