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UNC Baseball: Zac Gallen Finishes Among League Leaders

By Aaron Conrad

Sep 28, 2022; Houston, Texas, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Zac Gallen (23) delivers a pitch against the Houston Astros during the first inning at Minute Maid Park. Mandatory Credit: Erik Williams-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 28, 2022; Houston, Texas, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Zac Gallen (23) delivers a pitch against the Houston Astros during the first inning at Minute Maid Park. Mandatory Credit: Erik Williams-USA TODAY Sports /
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Former UNC Baseball pitcher Zac Gallen finishes an incredible 2022 Major League Baseball campaign among the National League leaders in multiple categories.

Zac Gallen has had a season to remember.

Major League Baseball recently tweeted a look at the dominant pitchers from the 2022 season.

Gallen finished the season with a 12-4 record for the Arizona Diamondbacks. Making that even more impressive is that the Diamondbacks finished the season with just a 74-88 record.

While the team might have struggled, Gallen dominated every opportunity he had He famously set the Diamondback’s franchise scoreless record at 44 1/3 innings during the month of August, as he was one of few bright spots for an organization during an overall very disappointing season.

Some of Gallen’s amazing numbers for the 2022 season are an ERA of 2.54, 192 strikeouts in 184 innings pitched, and a WHIP of 0.91.

There have been discussions that he has also moved into the race for the Cy Young award. The current favorite to win it is Sandy Alcantara of the Miami Marlins but with his strong close to the season, Gallen has certainly given voters something to think about.

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 renewed his contract with the Diamondbacks in March of 2022. As he’s still arbitration-eligible for a few more seasons, it will be interesting to see if the organization tries to sign him to an extension this offseason.

Next. UNC Baseball: Can Zac Gallen Win The Cy Young?. dark

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