Topic: Yovani Gallardo

Yovani Gallardo (born February 27, 1986) is a Mexican-American right-handed starting pitcher for the Milwaukee Brewers. He was selected in the second round of the 2004 Major League Baseball Draft out of Trimble Technical High School in Fort Worth, Texas.

Gallardo is listed at 6'2" and 210 pounds. He has showcased impressive hitting skills for a pitcher. In 188 career at-bats, he has an average of .213 with nine home runs and twenty-six RBIs. He regularly throws four pitches: a fastball, curveball, slider, and changeup with a lot of movement. He has an above-average arm with a fastball that touches 96 mph, but he usually throws in the 91-94 mph range with a hard-breaking 78-82 MPH curve that, when he was in the minors, was considered the best curveball in the minors. His slider is also a quality pitch, with a late, sharp break.

With Single-A Brevard County, on June 9, Gallardo had a no-hitter for 8⅓ innings before surrendering a triple; Gallardo finished the game with 11 strikeouts. Splitting time between Brevard County and Double-A Huntsville, he led all minor league pitchers with 188 strikeouts in 155 innings of work, the most in a single season by a Brewers prospect. His Double-A line included 13 starts and a 1.63 ERA.