Marlins prospect Zac Gallen dominating Triple-A hitters

Marlins prospect Zac Gallen has earned himself a trip to the Majors with his dominating performance at Triple-A New Orleans this season.

The buzz surrounding the trades that sent former Miami Marlins outfielder Marcell Ozuna to St. Louis last offseason was the inclusion of hard-throwing pitcher Sandy Alcantara. While the 23-year-old has shown he could be an ace of this pitching staff in the future, one of the other pitchers in that deal is turning heads. Zac Gallen has been dominant on the Triple-A level, making many of us wonder when he could make the Major League roster.

“On the plus side, Zac Gallen — acquired in the Marcell Ozuna trade with St. Louis — has been exceptional at Triple A New Orleans, allowing 12 hits and just one earned run — with four walks and 31 strikeouts — in 25 1/3 innings. That’s a 0.36 ERA. He has earned a promotion to the big-league club if there’s an injury to a starter,” writes Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.

Gallen could be the answer if the team cannot find a rhythm with the pitching staff after the All-Star break and his performance so far has almost assured himself of being at least a Sept. 1 callup.

Gallen, the Marlins No. 18 prospect, is turning heads and could quickly move up the team’s top 30 rankings. With a little luck, could he be part of the rotation equation if some changes are made in the future?

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“He’s got all the tools of a future starting pitcher in the major leagues,” Marlins executive Gary Denbo said immediately after the Ozuna trade. “His velocity is plus. He’s got three above-average pitches.”

That trade also yielded outfielder Magneuris Sierra, who spent time on the Marlins roster last season and is now at Double-A Jacksonville and pitcher Daniel Castano. It’s a trade that we don’t talk about as much, but its significance on the team’s future could be great.

The Marlins minor league system is now overflowing with pitching talent at ever level. There is more than enough players to package a deal for a hitter in the future. The problem I see with the Marlins is the overflow of pitching is the logjam to crack the rotation or pitching staff.

Like Alcantara and Pablo Lopez last season, Gallen now sits and waits his turn. He could be a difference maker for this organization. The only issue is it may take longer to happen because of numbers. While Gallen continues to mow down minor league hitters, the waiting process will continue.