Zac Gallen has partnered with Shamrock Farms Rockin’ Protein to launch a new product called the Gallen Gallon, a gallon sized jug of their protein shake. As part of their roll out, Zac sat down with us to chat about Rockin Protein and the upcoming season.
I would like to thank Zac Gallen for sitting down with me and Rockin’ Protein for setting the meeting up! It is greatly appreciated! Below is my interview with Gallen, lightly edited for conciseness.
ISH95: Why did you choose to partner with Rockin’ Protein?
GALLEN: It doesn’t really have any, you know, it doesn’t have the chalky after taste like a lot of other protein drinks out there. sure the fresh milk that it’s made with, you know, from shamrock farms, you know, is a separator for sure, so yeah, for me, the taste is huge, you know, the right amount of protein in each bottle, you know, it helps me get through a long season. So, yeah, the partnership seemed like a no brainer to me.
ISH95: You mentioned taste. What’s your favorite flavor?
GALLEN: I’m a big chocolate guy, to be honest with you. I got a sweet tooth, so chocolates is my favorite.
ISH95: Well, it’s chocolate milk right? You can’t go wrong.
GALLEN: Exactly. I like to dabble in the other flavors. I’ve got a vanilla, I’ve got a strawberry, but I stick to the chocolate mostly.
ISH95: So tell me, what is the Gallen Gallon?
GALLEN: Yeah, the Gallen Gallon. I actually got it right here. [holds up a gallon jug of Rockin’ Protein shake] 320 grams of protein. It’s going to be available nationwide April 1st. So we’re excited for that to hit the shelves, and yeah, it’s pretty sweet.
ISH95: Alright, well, I have to ask, I saw on Instagram a couple of weeks ago, you filled out a [March Madness] bracket with the team. How is that holding up so far?
GALLEN: Yeah, the bracket I did that day was no research, nothing, just by the seat of my pants. And I’m in the middle of the pack right now in our D-Backs one. And I did a bracket where I decided to over-complicate and do too much research, and I’m towards the bottom. So I still got all of my Final Four left, and I want to say I have my entire Elite Eight, but I’m not possible. I’m not sure on that, so you don’t want me to, but yeah, we got all final four left, so I think that’s a good sign, so we’ll see.
ISH95: This spring, the team has consciously been managing your workload. What has been the biggest difference this year compared to a traditional spring training for you?
GALLEN: Yeah, this year, obviously a little bit different coming off of the workload from last year, like you said, and playing in November. So we had kind of set out, honestly, before the season even started, that I wasn’t going to stop throwing this off season. I was just going to keep the arm moving once the season was over. Then, with everything that happened in the innings in the workload and playing longer, it just seemed kind of like a no-brainer. So for me, it was kind of this slow build-up, but it wasn’t really rushed. I feel like in the last couple years, I tried to take time off and allow my body to recover, and I feel like I was rushed. So this year kind of was able to build up at a slower pace, a little bit smarter, allowed me to work on some things, and then we delayed getting the games, obviously. But I was still throwing my BPs. I was still getting out there. I was still getting on the slope. So in terms of it being delayed, it was more we were just kind of delaying the compete mode. I was still putting in the work, still getting after it in terms of playing catch and stuff like that. So, yeah, so far, I feel pretty good. Body feels really solid.
ISH95: One thing that’s been debated, especially amongst fans, and I think I’ve even seen some players mention it, is the length of spring training in general. Would you take anything you’ve learned from your different build-up and apply it to a potential format change for spring training?
GALLEN: Yeah, I mean, I go back and forth on spring training. I think there gets to be a kind of a little dead period, maybe like a 10-day window, maybe two weeks where you’re kind of, you’re starting to build up, you know, four or five innings, and you want to just have a be a real game. You know, you’re trying to obviously still work on some things, but once you’re as a starting pitcher, at least once you’re getting a four or five innings, you’re feeling pretty close to getting into a real game. And you just kind of want that, you know, you want the taste of the real thing. So, yeah, maybe, I don’t know, maybe shorten it up just a little bit. But at the same time, it allows for scenarios like this where I was able to kind of delay the build up a little bit. So, yeah, there’s just some, sometimes where it gets a little monotonous. So, I don’t know, we’ll see if the league has any plans to term it down or what?
ISH95: No, fair enough, fair enough. Each of the past two years you’ve been able to put together an impressive scoreless sitting streak. What do you think allows you to get in such a groove for an extended period of time?
GALLEN: Yeah, I think I’m very diligent about my work, about more specifically playing catch and how the ball’s coming out of my hand. So, I work really hard at being able to be just to be able to repeat my delivery and be able to repeat that feel. And I feel like when I’m able to do that, I’m super consistent. So, I think that’s kind of where you see me get on just kind of those runs. And, yeah, I think it’s just a lot of work, a lot of it just being very disciplined in that and making sure everything’s repeatable. Because things are repeatable, I can throw pretty much all my pitches in any town, any location. And I think that gives me a lot of success.
ISH95: Alright, awesome. I know I for one enjoy watching you when you’re pitching in those grooves. It’s always fun to watch. Fans always circle series on the schedule that they are most looking forward to for a variety of reasons. Do you find yourself doing the same? And if so, what makes a series grab your attention?
GALLEN: I don’t normally circle any series really. You know, once the season gets going, you’re kind of just showing up every day, going to work. My family and my girlfriend, they joke that I don’t even know what day it is. Most of the time, like Tuesday, Friday, Thursday, I have no idea. So, same thing with the schedule, I’m usually like, who are we playing? But the ones, if I had to give you an answer, any division, divisional matchup is usually more because it’s a team, your division, you’re playing them 13, 14 times. I don’t know if the exact number is. Yeah, those divisional matchups are ones that we keep an eye on. So, yeah, those are always exciting.
ISH95: All right. Now, this is a purely hypothetical question. If hypothetically the team were to sign a new pitcher to the rotation, what would that do for your view of the season and the vibe in the clubhouse right now?
GALLEN: Obviously, with the injury to E-Rod, that’s leaving a gap for us. But we have guys ready to step up, Tommy and Ryan Nelson, guys like that. Jarvis, but yet to sign another arm would be great. I think it would definitely energize the clubhouse. But I don’t want to say faith, but kind of show the guys in the clubhouse that the front office management, the ownership is realizing that this is a window to win right now. So, yeah, I think it just kind of, it just energizes the players even more to know that they’re putting the chips in, you know, they’re going all in and seeing what could happen.
ISH95: Awesome. Awesome. Well, we’ve got about five minutes left, so I will hit you with my final question. What achievement in life are you most proud of?
GALLEN: Achievement in life. Oh. I don’t know. Oh, man, that’s tough.
GALLEN: Yeah, I wasn’t thinking about this. I’m trying to think. Yeah, I don’t. I’ll give you one. Not serious. I don’t have any in terms of like a charitable award. It would be like that if I had one those, it’d be that. But I was in sixth grade, I think it was. I was in fifth, sixth grade somewhere around there, and I was the, I got all the way to the, I don’t know, I was like the regional free throw shooting champion. Hey, that was a big deal back when I was a kid. I think I did it three years, and then one year I lost in the regionals, one year I lost in the States, and then I think one year I lost in like the first round. So to go in the regionals or whatever that was, so yeah, that was a pretty cool accomplishment as a kid.
ISH95: That’s awesome. Did you play a lot of basketball or just the free throw shooting?
GALLEN: Yeah, I played basketball from organized from third grade until my freshman year of high school. I hung it up after my freshman year of high school.
GALLEN: I hadn’t had my growth for yet, and baseball was looking more like a brighter future. So I decided I wasn’t going to play after that. But yeah, that was my off season break every year as a kid. My parents stressed one sport at one time, so it was kind of a way for my arm to take a rest and learn some different movements, different kind of skills, try to become a better athlete. So yeah, basketball was my winner sport back in the day.
ISH95: Alright, well that’s a heck of a hobby, but I’m glad you chose baseball in the end. Zac, thank you, and I look forward to seeing what happens starting tomorrow.
Special thanks to OG Snakepitter asteroid for assistance with editing.