After delivering a commanding complete game shutout against the Chicago Cubs last week, Zac Gallen is swiftly gaining momentum in the NL Cy Young race, as his support continues to surge.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Although Gallen held the top spot in the National League Cy Young odds during the first half of the season, a series of lackluster outings in July dropped the 28-year-old Phoenix native down to 4th place in most sportsbooks.
During the month of July, Gallen logged 32.1 innings, conceding 16 runs on 27 hits. The Diamondbacks managed a 1-5 record in these matchups, marking an unusually rocky period for Zac.
But, in his last six starts, he has notched two shutouts, consistently reached the sixth inning or beyond in each outing, and added four wins to his season tally, now standing at an impressive total of 15.
While Gallen currently ranks third in the Cy Young odds, trailing behind Blake Snell and Justin Steele, a compelling argument can be made for why the Diamondbacks’ ace should ultimately claim the coveted crown.
This argument stems from the undeniable fact that Gallen consistently goes deeper into games than nearly any other pitcher in baseball.
As pointed out by Tyler Kepner from The Athletic, Gallen boasts an impressive 22 games this season in which he has pitched beyond the six-inning mark. This statistic places him second only to Logan Webb of the Giants in this regard. However, it’s important to highlight that Gallen surpasses Webb in nearly every other significant category, including ERA, wins, and WHIP.
Additionally, from Kepner: “Gallen (15-7) is the outright leader in no major categories, yet he is the only NL pitcher to rank among the top five in ERA, innings and WHIP (1.082). If you like flawed traditional stats, he’s top 5 in wins — and if you like flawed advanced metrics, he’s top 5 in WAR, too.”
Brett Strom, the Diamondbacks veteran pitching coach, has gone on record, affirming that “He’s (Gallen) as exceptional in his preparation as any pitcher I’ve ever had.”
To put it into perspective, Brett Strom has coached some of the best pitchers over the past decade, including Gerrit Cole, Zach Greinke, Justin Verlander, and Dallas Keuchal.
Gallen will likely have four more starts this season to further make his Cy Young case.
