Zac Gallen Dominates With José Herrera Behind the Plate

As the backup catcher, the primary responsibility is to be able to handle the pitching staff. That's something Herrera has done well this year, with the Diamondbacks boasting a 10-3 record when he starts behind the plate. It's pretty remarkable that, despite getting only 36% of the starts, the team has more wins with him than Moreno at this point in the season.

"I think the thing for Josey, his big thing, which I think every pitcher loves to hear, is he wants to hit .350 behind the plate," said Gallen. "For him, he's all in with the game calling, with the sequencing, things like that. I know he takes a lot of pride in it, and that's something. Whoever he's out there with, he's trying to be one and the same. For him to put the effort in, what he's doing, it's showing up."

Perhaps no pitcher performs better on the mound with Herrera behind the plate than Gallen. The two have worked together three times this season. In each of those starts, Gallen has recorded a Quality Start, allowing no more than two runs in any of them, and collectively a 1.89 ERA over 19 innings. The team has won all three of those starts.

The success of the pair goes beyond this season. In 2024, Herrera caught 10 of Gallen's 28 starts. The results were rather impressive, as the Diamondbacks' ace pitched to a 2.82 ERA and limited hitters to a .220/.299/.310 slash. The .609 OPS was the lowest total of the three catchers Gallen threw to, compared to .661 for Tucker Barnhart and .745 for Moreno.

That trend has continued in 2025, with a .491 OPS pitching to Herrera compared to .754 pitching to Moreno. While the sample size is limited to eight starts this season, a quarter of the starts he'll make, the contrast is rather stark in Gallen's performance in limiting the effectiveness of opposing hitters.

The improvement in results also shows up on the team's win-loss record. When Herrera had a Gallen start, the Diamondbacks were 8-2 in 2024. Couple that with a 3-0 record in 2025, the team is 11-2 with a Gallen/Herrera battery the past two seasons. That could be something the team looks more into to try to maximize their ace's performance and improve their chances in what should be a tough National League Wild Card race.

It will be worth noting if we see Herrera catch more of Gallen's starts moving forward. While he doesn't provide much value with the bat, as he's hitting only .200 with a .578 OPS on the season, the tradeoff of better pitching performances from the Diamondbacks' ace could offset that. Gallen's next scheduled start is Sunday afternoon against the Los Angeles Dodgers, which is typically a game that Herrera catches.

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