Zac Gallen Applying Methodical Approach to Spring Training

The Cy Young contending pitcher is looking for any edge in first "normal" camp in years.

Zac Gallen is in his 6th major league spring training, and each has been a very different experience. Coming off an excellent first full season in the minors in 2017 he was traded along with Sandy Alcantara and two others by the St. Louis Cardinals for the Miami Marlins' Marcel Ozuna. His first major league training camp came with the  Marlins in 2018.  Gallen went into MLB camp looking around the roster thinking he had a chance to make the club. 

"I'm thinking, come over in the trade, I felt like I could definitely make the team. I didn't throw well at all, and after it was over I realized there was probably no chance I was making the team. As you get older you see what goes on and you understand they know the roster already. But I still came in and was trying to impress and win a job, even though how very slim it would have been.  As you get older you understand how to handle it."

He was optioned out around the second week of March that spring, and the same thing happened again in 2019.  Called up June 20th that year for his major league debut, he pitched well for the Marlins in seven starts with a 2.72 ERA. But at the trade deadline he was on the move again, when he was traded to the Diamondbacks for shortstop Jazz Chisholm.  Gallen made an immediate impact with the Diamondbacks, making eight more starts and posting a 2.89 ERA.  Going into camp in 2020 he was assured of a spot in the rotation.

But of course the 2020 season was anything but normal. Camp was shut down on March 12th due to the Pandemic.  With an uncertain restart date, he along with everyone else had to try to stay in shape and then go through a quick restart in July. He had a similar experience with an uncertain start date in 2022 due to the lockout. This year is the first time in years he's had the opportunity for a more methodical ramp up with certainty of start date for spring training and the regular season. Speaking of those season's Gallen said

 "You had to almost be on call. I felt like in 2020 and 2022, while you're getting more time to get ready, but at any point in time they could call and say ok, we're starting in a couple of days. It was good in a sense that you were on edge a little bit and you had anticipation, but at the same time it was a little weird to say the least."

2023 has been a completely different process and experience however. Armed with certainty of his role, and the start dates for camp and the regular season, he and the team were able to map out a program for him to get ready in the most methodical of ways. In fact, he has not yet pitched in a Cactus League game. Most recently he threw a simulation game of three innings, 45 pitches instead.  Gallen explained the advantages of that approach.

"It's definitely a controlled environment. So I can work out of the stretch or the windup [as desired].  I think the biggest thing right now is just getting a feel for the pitch clock. That way hopefully when I get into a real game it will be fairly seamless and not as much of a shock. That's been the biggest thing so far. And then just monitoring pitch counts, up downs, same stuff that would happen in the game but just a more controlled setting."

Gallen, more than most pitchers, probably needed the extra opportunity to make an adjustment. While his time to deliver a pitch with nobody on last year ranked in the middle of the pack, his time with men on base jumped 10 seconds. That was the biggest spread in MLB. In addition he led the league in pickoff attempts. The new rules not only limit the time to deliver the pitch, but also the number of step offs or pick off attempts to two. So having the extra time to prepare for these changes is suiting Gallen well. 

Gallen is confident in his ability to make the adjustments needed. We talked a bit about Max Scherzer's usage of the pitch clock to his advantage. 

Max Scherzer, Pitch Clock Gamesmanship.

Long hold. Adams takes his only time out.

Then Max stays set so he can pitch as soon as Adams is ready. pic.twitter.com/3uj9ucDFEl

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) March 3, 2023

Just like anything it will take an adjustment. I'll be curious to see how guys figure out how to game the system. I'm just trying to see anything that guys are using. I haven't had a chance to pick the brains of the minor league guys and see how they've exploited it.  I dove into the rules a bit more, and they're going to put together a sheet for us to summarize everything and break that down and see where there's advantages. Right now it seems like the advantage is probably in the pitcher's favor because hitters have got to be ready and you're dictating the pace. We'll see what happens. 

There is little doubt that the cerebral, methodical Gallen will figure out the best way to use the new rules to his advantage. That's part of what great players do. It remains to be seen how things will play out in the major league game as a whole however. Certainly the pace of play is greatly improved without all the down time between pitches and game times have been shortened by over 20 minutes on average. Minor league data also showed an increase in batting average and decrease in strikeouts, as well as stolen base attempts.  Expect similar results in MLB.

With game times and pace of play similar to 30 years ago and more balls in play, traditionalists and younger fans  alike should all end up happy with the results. But there will be an adjustment period that lasts into the beginning of the season. The question still remains how players, fans, and league officials will react when there is a violation in a critical moment. Stay tuned baseball fans.