In a time when power hitting is more of a scarce resource than ever, teams are starting to value it more than ever. As home run totals dwindle, the players who can hit for power stand out that much more.
Down in Arlington, the Texas Rangers have one of the sport’s most prolific power hitters. Joey Gallo, known for his prodigious homers and raw power, is currently playing at Double-A Frisco. He was second in all of professional baseball with 42 round-trippers last year, after 40 of his hits left the yard in 2013.
With the Rangers not anywhere close to contending this year or maybe in the next couple of seasons, deciding when to bring up Gallo to the big league club is a tough call.
Do you just bring him up as soon as possible so he can get reps at the highest level, or do you let him develop his skills in the minor leagues until the Rangers are ready to contend?
One important thing to note is that Gallo is currently facing a roadblock in Arlington in third baseman Adrian Beltre. That is why Gallo has been playing some left field of late, which might allow him to contribute to the major league squad sooner.
Whatever the Rangers decide and wherever Gallo ends up playing defensively, his best tool is hitting the ball as far as he can.
During the 2011 Perfect Game All-American Classic, an 18-year-old Gallo launched a 442-foot homer off of a 92 mph fastball from Lucas Sims, who was ultimately drafted in the first round by the Braves in the 2012 MLB draft.
In 2013, Gallo became the first teenager since 1968 to hit 40 home runs in a minor league season.
Then, in last year’s Futures Game, he launched a 419-foot homer that ended up being the difference in a 3-2 USA win. Earlier in the day, he hit a homer in batting practice that broke the windshield of a truck on display in the outfield stands.
In other words, Gallo can rake, no matter who is pitching. He has been hitting tape-measure shots since his days as a prep star at Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas, and he should continue to do so even when he reaches The Show.
After hitting a monster 42 homers last year, Gallo said that his goal in 2015 was not to match or exceed that total, but to become a better all-around player.
“I don’t really care if I hit five home runs or I hit 40 home runs,” Gallo told Anthony Andro of Fox Sports Southwest. “I’ve already proved I can hit home runs. I just want to prove I can be a better player, a more complete player. I’m just trying to take what people give me instead of what I tried to do last year, like yank balls through wind and that kind of stuff.”
Through May 29 stats, Gallo sports an impressive .313/.420/.626 slash line. He hit .271 last year, so his improved approach is already showing dividends early in the season.
Rangers senior director of player development Mike Daly was very complimentary of Gallo, as he talked to Andro about the stud third baseman.
“Joey continues to refine the offensive side of his game each season,” Daly said. “Big credit to Joey each year he improves his different areas such as plate discipline, approach, utilizing the entire field, and consistency of his at-bats as he continues toward his goal of becoming a multidimensional hitter at the plate.”
Ideally, Gallo will find a way to cut down on his strikeout total. He has 47 strikeouts in 115 at-bats this year at Frisco—he had a whopping 179 K’s last year—and it will be interesting to see if he can still be productive as he moves up to Triple-A (and eventually MLB) if he strikes out that much.
Gallo comes from the Las Vegas area, which also happens to be the hometown of sluggers Bryce Harper, Kris Bryant and Chris Carter. A man who has seen them all play thinks Gallo could be even better than the other three.
“I seriously think Gallo could be the best out of all of them,” Nate Selby, who coached Carter at Sierra Vista High School, told Brian Deka of the Las Vegas Sun. “When he hits them, they just go different than the other guys.”
Gallo has also garnered praise from former MVP Jason Giambi, who has worked with Gallo on his swing in the past. Here is what Giambi told Ben Lindbergh of Grantland:
Joey Gallo’s ceiling is unlimited. I think (he) can be whoever he wants to be. He has the potential to be a .300 hitter. He has the potential to hit 50 homers. He has the potential to drive in 140. He runs really well for a big guy. He can play defense at third base. He’s a pretty special player; you don’t see players like this come along very often.
So Gallo certainly has the talent and the track record to crack the big league roster sometime in the near future. Whether it’s this year or next year, the Rangers have an elite power hitter on their hands. And as bad as the Rangers have been the past two seasons, their lineup could be somewhat potent with Gallo.
With Beltre, Prince Fielder, Josh Hamilton and Gallo hitting in the middle of the order, Texas has the capability to score boatloads of runs.
But, again, whatever the Rangers decide to do will likely turn out just fine. When you have such a talented player like Gallo, who possesses a ton of the game’s most precious commodities, it is almost a win-win situation no matter when the front office pulls the trigger on his promotion.
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