NL Cy Young race tracker: D-backs’ Zac Gallen on short list of contenders
Sep 3, 2023, 11:30 AM | Updated: 11:55 am
Starting pitcher Zac Gallen #23 of the Arizona Diamondbacks during the first inning of the MLB game against the St. Louis Cardinals at Chase Field on July 26, 2023 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Arizona Diamondbacks starter Zac Gallen is having another standout season as the club’s ace, and it has put him in the thick of the National League Cy Young Award race.
Gallen finished No. 5 in voting last season after a dominant second half and carried that into 2023. After an uncharacteristic first two starts, Gallen did not allow a single earned run over his next four outings.
He went into the All-Star break with a 3.04 ERA, 2.77 FIP and 1.05 WHIP, earning a start in his first career Midsummer Classic.
Gallen hit what he described as a rough patch at the end of June into July, but his first five starts of August were stellar with a 2.01 ERA over 31.1 innings.
It will be a tight battle over the final weeks of the season between several pitchers throwing in playoff races like Gallen.
Randy Johnson (1999, 2000, 2001, 2002) and Brandon Webb (2006) are the only pitchers who won Cy Young awards with the Diamondbacks.
National League Cy Young race
| Pitcher | GS | ERA | FIP | K/9 | fWAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zack Wheeler, Phillies | 27 | 3.62 | 2.97 | 10.15 | 5.4 |
| Zac Gallen, Diamondbacks | 28 | 3.32 | 3.35 | 9.45 | 4.1 |
| Spencer Strider, Braves | 27 | 3.56 | 2.81 | 13.84 | 4.8 |
| Logan Webb, Giants | 28 | 3.49 | 3.27 | 8.43 | 3.8 |
| Justin Steele, Cubs | 25 | 2.69 | 3.09 | 8.81 | 3.9 |
| Blake Snell, Padres | 27 | 2.50 | 3.69 | 11.67 | 3.0 |
In the hunt: Corbin Burnes (Brewers), Kodai Senga (Mets), Merrill Kelly (Diamondbacks)
