Hunt and Peck

It is time to start talking about Giovanny Gallegos - A Hunt and Peck

The Cardinals reliever has had a great season.

By lil_scooter93 Aug 30, 2019, 1:00pm EDT

MLB: Colorado Rockies at St. Louis Cardinals

Giovanny Gallegos, the man, the myth, the legend. A year ago the Cardinals traded away one of their large, adult sons, Luke Voit, to the Yankees in return receiving Chasen Schreve and Gallegos. Both had middling results in the majors to that point. At the time it was a very lackluster trade, made even bitterer with the success Voit found in a Yankees uniform.

In 2019 that trade might be redeemed, however.

Giovanny Gallegos has pitched 61 major-league innings so far in 2019. In those 61 innings he has been one of the best relievers in baseball. Mike Petriello of MLB.com has an interesting write-up on him from Wednesday. Per Petriello:

He’s got 79 strikeouts and a Top 15 whiff rate. No qualified reliever has allowed a lower OBP than his .211, meaning that nearly 80% of the hitters who come to the plate turn right back around. He’s been... great. Gallegos has been the most important reliever in a bullpen that lost Jordan Hicks and received nothing (or close to it) from Alex Reyes, Luke Gregerson, and Mayers.

Among Cardinals pitchers, he has been the fourth most valuable per fWAR with 1.7, and that is just behind Adam Wainwright who has 1.8. He has the lowest ERA on the team at 2.07 and the lowest FIP at 2.39. He has struck out 35.2% of batters while walking 5.3%, obliterating his teammates with a strikeout to walk ratio of 6.67 — good for seventh in all of baseball. League-wide, he trails only Athletics reliever Liam Hendricks who has had an amazing season.

Giovanny Gallegos is taking off and has become an anchor to a strong Cardinals bullpen.