Zachary Peter Gallen (born August 3, 1995) is an American

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

for the

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks (colloquially known as the D-backs) are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB). He made his MLB debut with the

Miami Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The club's home ballpark is LoanDepot Park. The franc ...

in 2019.

Early life

Gallen was born on August 3, 1995, in

Somerdale, New Jersey Somerdale is a borough in Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 5,566, an increase of 415 (+8.1%) from the 2010 census count of 5,151, to Jim and Stacy Gallen. When he was five years old, he refused to play

tee-ball Tee-ball (also teeball, tee ball or T-ball) is a team sport based on a simplified form of baseball or softball. It is intended as an introduction for children aged 4 to 6 to develop ball-game skills and have fun. Description Tee-ball association ...

with his peers, instead demanding to play

Little League Baseball Little League Baseball and Softball (officially, Little League Baseball Inc) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

and second baseman.

College career

He attended Bishop Eustace Preparatory School in

Pennsauken Township, New Jersey Pennsauken Township is a township in Camden County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is a suburb of Philadelphia. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the township's population was 37,074, reflecting an increase of 1,189 (+3.3%) from the 35,885 count ...

and played three years of

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional p ...

at the

University of North Carolina The University of North Carolina is the multi-campus public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the NC School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referred to as the UNC Sy ...

. After the 2014 and 2015 seasons, he played

collegiate summer baseball Collegiate summer baseball leagues are amateur baseball leagues in the United States and Canada featuring players who have attended at least one year of college and have at least one year of athletic eligibility remaining. Generally, they operat ...

with the

Chatham Anglers The Chatham Anglers, more commonly referred to as the Chatham A's and formerly the Chatham Athletics, are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Chatham, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in t ...

of the Cape Cod Baseball League. During his junior year in 2016, he went 4–3 with a 2.79 ERA along with limiting opponents to a .231

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...

. He was drafted by the

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals ha ...

in the third round of the 2016 Major League Baseball draft.

Professional career

St. Louis Cardinals

Gallen made his professional debut with the

Gulf Coast Cardinals The Florida Complex League Cardinals are a Rookie-level affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals, competing in the Florida Complex League of Minor League Baseball. Prior to 2021, the team was known as the Gulf Coast League Cardinals. The team plays i ...

, 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 The Springfield Cardinals are a Minor League Baseball team based in Springfield, Missouri. They compete as a member of the Texas League's North Division. The Cardinals began play in 2005. The team is owned by the 11-time Major League Baseball ...

and

Memphis Redbirds The Memphis Redbirds are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. They are located in Memphis, Tennessee, and are named for their Major League Baseball affiliate. The Redbir ...

. 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.

Miami Marlins

On December 14, 2017, the Cardinals traded Gallen to the

(along with

Sandy Alcántara Sandy Alcántara Montero (born September 7, 1995) is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher for the Miami Marlins of Major League Baseball (MLB). He signed with the St. Louis Cardinals as an international free agent in 2013, and made his MLB ...

Magneuris Sierra Magneuris Sierra (born April 7, 1996) is a Dominican professional baseball outfielder in the Atlanta Braves organization. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Cardinals, Miami Marlins and Los Angeles Angels. ...

, and

Daniel Castano Daniel Alexander Castano (born September 17, 1994) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Miami Marlins organization. He made his MLB debut in 2020. Amateur career Castano attended Lake Travis High School in Austin, Texas. During ...

) for

Marcell Ozuna Marcell Ozuna Idelfonso (born November 12, 1990), nicknamed "The Big Bear", is a Dominican professional baseball outfielder for the Atlanta Braves of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Miami Marlins and St. Lou ...

. He was a non-roster invitee to 2018 spring training. He spent the season with the

New Orleans Baby Cakes The New Orleans Baby Cakes (formerly the New Orleans Zephyrs) were a Minor League Baseball team in the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. They were located in Metairie, Louisiana, a sub ...

, going 8–9 with a 3.65 ERA and a 1.47 WHIP in 25 starts. He returned to New Orleans to begin 2019. On June 20, 2019, his contract was selected and he was called up to the major leagues for the first time. He made his debut that night in a start versus the

, recording six strikeouts and giving up one earned run over five innings pitched.

Arizona Diamondbacks

On July 31, 2019, the Marlins traded Gallen to the

for shortstop

Jazz Chisholm Jr. Jasrado Prince Hermis Arrington "Jazz" Chisholm Jr. (born February 1, 1998) is a Bahamian professional baseball second baseman and center fielder for the Miami Marlins of Major League Baseball (MLB) and Great Britain national baseball team. Ear ...

In eight starts for Arizona, Gallen was 2–3 with a 2.89 ERA in 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. He was named the NL Pitcher of the Month for August. In 2022 he was 12-4 with a 2.54 ERA in 184 innings, and led the majors in pickoff throws to first base, with 144.

References

External links

North Carolina Tar Heels bio
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gallen, Zac 1995 births Living people Bishop Eustace Preparatory School alumni People from Somerdale, New Jersey Sportspeople from Camden County, New Jersey Baseball players from New Jersey Major League Baseball pitchers Miami Marlins players Arizona Diamondbacks players North Carolina Tar Heels baseball players Chatham Anglers players Gulf Coast Cardinals players Palm Beach Cardinals players Springfield Cardinals players Memphis Redbirds players New Orleans Baby Cakes players