LOS ANGELES — Right-hander Zac Gallen entered the offseason as a free agent, and since he no longer was with the Diamondbacks, that meant he no longer had access to the club’s facility at Salt River Fields.
Gallen needed a place to train over the winter. He also needed a new set of eyes on him as he worked on his pitching mechanics.
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The different directions he went during the offseason, he believes, help explain how good he felt during spring training, something he hopes translates into the regular season, which starts on Thursday evening, March 26, at Dodger Stadium.
Gallen will make his fourth consecutive Opening Day start for the Diamondbacks.
His spring training results were nothing special, but he was working with his highest fastball velocity in four years, averaging 94.2 mph. Over the previous three years, he had averaged roughly 92 mph during camp.
“I feel like we’re in a pretty good spot,” Gallen said. “I’m moving a little bit more efficiently.”
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Top photos from Arizona Diamondbacks’ 2026 spring training
Arizona Diamondbacks Jordan Lawlar catches a fly ball during spring training workouts at Salt River Fields on Feb. 13, 2026, in Scottsdale.
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Top photos from Arizona Diamondbacks’ 2026 spring training
Arizona Diamondbacks Jordan Lawlar catches a fly ball during spring training workouts at Salt River Fields on Feb. 13, 2026, in Scottsdale.
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Top photos from Arizona Diamondbacks’ 2026 spring training
Arizona Diamondbacks’ Nolan Arenado (28) rounds the bases after hitting a home run off Colorado Rockies pitcher Antonio Senzatela (49) in the second inning during a spring training game at Salt River Fields on Feb. 20, 2026, in Scottsdale.
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Arizona Diamondbacks’ Gabriel Moreno (14) bats against the Colorado Rockies in the fourth inning during a spring training game at Salt River Fields on Feb. 20, 2026, in Scottsdale.
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Top photos from Arizona Diamondbacks’ 2026 spring training
Arizona Diamondbacks’ Alek Thomas (5) runs to second base after hitting a double against the Colorado Rockies in the second inning during a spring training game at Salt River Fields on Feb. 20, 2026, in Scottsdale.
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D. Baxter the Bobcat, the Arizona Diamondbacks mascot, signs autographs during the spring training season opener against the Colorado Rockies at Salt River Fields on Feb. 20, 2026, in Scottsdale.
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Top photos from Arizona Diamondbacks’ 2026 spring training
Arizona Diamondbacks’ Nolan Arenado (28) reacts after hitting a home run off Colorado Rockies pitcher Antonio Senzatela (49) in the second inning during a spring training game at Salt River Fields on Feb. 20, 2026, in Scottsdale.
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Top photos from Arizona Diamondbacks’ 2026 spring training
The Arizona Diamondbacks take the field against the Colorado Rockies during the spring training season opener at Salt River Fields on Feb. 20, 2026, in Scottsdale.
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Top photos from Arizona Diamondbacks’ 2026 spring training
Arizona Diamondbacks’ Nolan Arenado (28) hits a home run over Colorado Rockies left fielder Zac Veen (13) in the second inning during a spring training game at Salt River Fields on Feb. 20, 2026, in Scottsdale.
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Top photos from Arizona Diamondbacks’ 2026 spring training
The Salt River Pima – Maricopa Indian Community traditional dancers perform at the Arizona Diamondbacks spring training season opener at Salt River Fields on Feb. 20, 2026, in Scottsdale.
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Top photos from Arizona Diamondbacks’ 2026 spring training
Arizona Diamondbacks’ Nolan Arenado (28) hits a home run off Colorado Rockies pitcher Antonio Senzatela (49) in the second inning during a spring training game at Salt River Fields on Feb. 20, 2026, in Scottsdale.
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Top photos from Arizona Diamondbacks’ 2026 spring training
Arizona Diamondbacks’ Nolan Arenado (28) hits a home run off Colorado Rockies pitcher Antonio Senzatela (49) in the second inning during a spring training game at Salt River Fields on Feb. 20, 2026, in Scottsdale.
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Top photos from Arizona Diamondbacks’ 2026 spring training
A fan and her dog cheer for the Arizona Diamondbacks during the spring training season opener against the Colorado Rockies at Salt River Fields on Feb. 20, 2026, in Scottsdale.
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Top photos from Arizona Diamondbacks’ 2026 spring training
Arizona Diamondbacks center fielder Alek Thomas (5) signs autographs during the spring training season opener against the Colorado Rockies at Salt River Fields on Feb. 20, 2026, in Scottsdale.
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Top photos from Arizona Diamondbacks’ 2026 spring training
Colorado Rockies pitcher Juan Mejia (47) throws to the Arizona Diamondbacks in the third inning during a spring training game at Salt River Fields on Feb. 20, 2026, in Scottsdale.
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Top photos from Arizona Diamondbacks’ 2026 spring training
Fans watch the action on the left field lawn as the Colorado Rockies host the Arizona Diamondbacks during a spring training game at Salt River Fields on Feb. 20, 2026, in Scottsdale.
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Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Andrew Hoffmann (56) throws to the Colorado Rockies in the second inning during a spring training game at Salt River Fields on Feb. 20, 2026, in Scottsdale.
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Top photos from Arizona Diamondbacks’ 2026 spring training
Arizona Diamondbacks’ Nolan Arenado (28) reacts after hitting a home run off Colorado Rockies pitcher Antonio Senzatela (49) in the second inning during a spring training game at Salt River Fields on Feb. 20, 2026, in Scottsdale.
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Top photos from Arizona Diamondbacks’ 2026 spring training
Arizona Diamondbacks center fielder Alek Thomas (5) catches a fly ball from Colorado Rockies’ Edouard Julien (6) in the second inning during a spring training game at Salt River Fields on Feb. 20, 2026, in Scottsdale.
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Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Philip Abner (50) takes the mound against the Colorado Rockies in the third inning during a spring training game at Salt River Fields on Feb. 20, 2026, in Scottsdale.
Gallen did not go into the winter looking to reinvent himself or his training methods. But by the time he was finished, he was glad he did.
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Knowing he couldn’t be at Salt River, Gallen knew he didn’t want to work out at a local gym on his own. He wound up latching on at Club Nemesis, a new Scottsdale facility launched over the winter by All-Star third baseman Alex Bregman. There, Gallen connected with Taylor Rhoades, a former strength and conditioning coach with the Houston Astros.
For years, Gallen had followed the same workout plan, one he had adopted long before landing in the Diamondbacks organization. But as he listened to Rhoades’ suggestions for different strengthening exercises, he found they made a lot of sense.
“I just kind of followed his lead on most of the stuff,” Gallen said. “I kind of came out very strong in a sense, strengthening different parts of my body that I hadn’t in a while.”
He said the general outline of the winter was first to build strength, turn that into power and then ultimately into speed. As an example, he said the strength portion might consist of more sets of a particular weight, power would be fewer sets of more weight, and speed would be trying to get through the sets faster.
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“Ultimately, I think it just came down to evolving a little bit, doing things a little different,” he said. “Not doing things that were earth-shattering, but I think I had to adapt, I had to evolve.”
At the same time, Gallen said he tried to continue a process of refining his mechanics that he began late last season with Diamondbacks pitching coach Brian Kaplan. To help, he enlisted Mike Adams, a New Jersey-based coach who had reached out to Gallen last year.
“I pretty much FaceTimed him every day I played catch in the first, probably, month or two I was throwing,” Gallen said. “We wanted to make sure we were hammering out the mechanical things that we felt like were inefficiencies.”
Gallen always has been delivery-obsessed. He is constantly searching and tinkering in hopes of finding the right feel. When he is at his best, he traces everything back to the way his mechanics are functioning.
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Velocity is not everything with him, but his fastball has been a less effective pitch in recent years. Throwing harder should help, particularly considering that his velocity, historically, has trended upward as the season has progressed.
“I feel like the body is feeling really good,” Gallen said. “Ben (Hagar), our (physical therapist), talks about how we only have so many tokens to use to keep our body moving correctly and feeling good. I’m trying to be more diligent and more specified about where I’m putting my tokens.
“I feel like I’m in a good spot with the workout regimen that I’ve got going on, how I’m moving when I’m throwing and then just the modalities of the delivery. I feel like I’m in a good spot.”
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Velocity up for Diamondbacks’ Zac Gallen after new winter regimen