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UNC Baseball: Can Zac Gallen Win The Cy Young?

By Aaron Conrad

Sep 22, 2022; Los Angeles, California, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Zac Gallen (23) throws in the second inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 22, 2022; Los Angeles, California, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Zac Gallen (23) throws in the second inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /
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Former UNC Baseball pitcher Zac Gallen has pitched his way into the conversation for the National League Cy Young award. Does he have the statistics and time left in the season to do it?

If there were questions about how former UNC baseball pitcher Zac Gallen would handle the race towards a National League Cy Young Award, he answered them on Thursday night.

On September 22nd, Gallen dominated arguably the best offensive team in the National League for 8 innings.  Let’s look at his stats against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

8.0 IP

2 H

1 ER

13 K

0 BB

42.9 GB%

35 Whiff%

43 CSW%

15.3 HardHit%

98 Pitches

Because the Cy Young is not based on one game, let’s take a look at how Gallen has handled the final stretch of the season.

In his last 9 starts, Galled has a 0.89 ERA, 0.61 WHIP, and averaged 11 strikeouts per 9 innings in that span.

Oh, and he just finished off an incredible 44 1/3 scoreless innings streak.

In his recent breakdown on MLB.com, Thomas Harrington has Gallen listed 5th in the overall race behind Sandy Alcantara (Marlins), Max Fried (Braves), Julio Urias (Dodgers), and former NC State pitcher Carlos Rodon (Giants).

Gallen was with the Tar Heels for three seasons from 2014-2016. He finished the 2016 season with a 5-6 record and a 2.68 ERA over 90.2 innings pitched. He walked just 21 batters over that span while striking out 95 hitters.

After becoming a vital component of the Tar Heels rotation, Gallen was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the third round of the 2016 Major League Baseball draft. He made his major league debut three years later with the Miami Marlins on June 20, 2019.

He was traded to the Diamondbacks on July 31, 2019, and has found success in the desert. He finished his first year in Arizona going 2-3 with a 2.89 ERA. In 2020 he followed it up with a 3-2 record and a 2.75 ERA. Gallen is currently 12-3 with a 2.46 ERA. He has 180 strikeouts in 172 innings.

With the Diamondbacks’ struggles this season, Gallen hasn’t received the attention that his stellar season deserves. However, you could easily make the case that the former UNC baseball standout at least deserves major consideration for this year’s National League CY Young Award.

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