The Rangers’ plans for first base in 2017 aren’t entirely clear, but it appears Joey Gallo does not top their list of potential starters at the position, as Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News notes. “We think Joey is going to be a very good player in this league, but when is still too early to say,” says GM Jon Daniels. “Ideally, he’d probably get a little more time, unless there is a big jump like Ryan Rua took last year.” Daniels cites Jurickson Profar and Rua as candidates for playing time at first.
Incumbent first baseman Mitch Moreland is a free agent this winter, and Gallo is a talented minor league slugger with a long history of hitting for incredible power — he’s hit 152 home runs, many of the light-tower variety, in parts of five minor league seasons. He’s a third baseman by trade, but he played 32 games at first base in for Triple-A Round Rock last season and would appear to be an obvious candidate to take over the position now that there’s a vacancy. The Rangers could also have playing time available at DH, depending on how this offseason shakes out.
Gallo also has obvious weaknesses, however. He struck out in nearly 35% of his plate appearances last year at Round Rock, and has whiffed a ridiculous 76 times in 153 plate appearances in the big leagues. He would likely have a hard time posting batting averages above the Mendoza Line without improvements in that category, and the Rangers might feel Round Rock is the best place to address his deficiencies. Gallo went to Venezuela this offseason to work on his game in winter ball, but has been sidelined by a hamstring injury.
Is he going to become another Mike Olt?
Hank Blalock
Dallas McPherson
Jesus Montero! Gallo stock is way down, it’s going to be hard to move him.
Feels an awful lot like Olt. Blalock at least had a few years. Anyone remember Brandon Wood?
Gallo has much more overall ability than Olt ever had. I’m not talking just the power, but he’s also a decent athlete and has a cannon for an arm. Who knows if he will put everything together offensively, but I am confident he will produce more at the major league level than Olt.
Any thoughts on service time considerations?
He’s already got 150 PA in two seasons and has some obvious flaws. I think it’s less likely to be a factor here than with guys like Bryant or Polanco in recent years.
Can you just trade this damn guy, I mean come on just let him play
Hard to let the kid play when he struck out around 50% in the big leagues and 35% at triple a. He needs to adjust and get better first. Unlikely he’d stick on any 25 man roster until he cuts down on the k’s.
He’s stunk up the big leagues when he’s up so why would he be their starting first baseman?
More power than Chris Carter but also more k’s. I think he is going to be a bust prospect. The fact that they don’t want to call him up to be a starter should tell you everything you need to know. They didn’t hold back Profar or Odur.
I am no prospect guru, however my gut tells me that he possible will become a 1-2 tool player that isn’t what they anticipated. Could you imagine what they could have picked up with him in a package back a couple years when he was “the dude”? Man..
Agreed. Obviously he has immense talent and could still turn it around, but teams aren’t nearly as high on him now. The ship has sailed
And 2017 is Joey’s last option year because the Rangers tried to be a little too cute with him back in 2015. I’ve thought for a while that he would be a bust. Within the next year we will know whether or not that is true.
I’m not sure they are hiding the fact that they just don’t trust him vs mlb pitching anymore. Other teams have realized that the dude may K 35% of the time v mlb pitching
Trade him while you can even tho it won’t be much.
Tough situation for him. Super hyped prospect, exposed to MLB pitching way too early(2015), then slaughters AAA pitching this season prompting a call-up. Banister throws a fit about it because he doesn’t want to DL role player Drew Stubbs, so to make a point Joey sits a week straight, and later on he finally makes the lineup but never plays in three straight games the WHOLE time he is up(might want to at least try to get him going, pretty tough to adjust only playing once or twice a week), while Prince Fielder and Mitch Moreland(GG finalist though!) post a sub-.700 OPS most of the season while playing nearly every day. So now Texas needs a DH and 1B, he is on his last option, and they still don’t know if he made the needed adjustments to MLB pitching. Joey must have put it to Mrs. Banister or something, I really feel for him… I’ve had friends refer to this as a Chris Davis type situation, but I’m pretty sure Davis had well over a season’s worth of everyday ABs when he was ready… Whereas Joey had everyday ABs when he should have been in AAA in 2015 and was given absolutely no chance to succeed with the team in 2016. He may very well bust, but as a Rangers fan that watches every game, I cannot put it squarely on him, Banister set him up to succeed worse than Wash did Profar…
Trying to hide him down on the farm hoping for some out of town stupid trade. Too late. His story is already written and anybody that says otherwise can’t read.
I believe you are correct about the trade thing. Texas was is/was more worried about protecting his prospect status/value(or hiding his warts) than seeing if he really could play. Now his small sample size MLB stats look terrible, and they still don’t know if he’s a ball player(sure doesn’t seem as if they believe so).. Terrible handling of prospect value, development, and player in general. But I do think he still has a chance to be a quality ballplayer, though his power and cannon would be much more valuable at 3B than 1B or DH…
100% correct. They know he can’t play at the major league level. They’re hoping somebody still views him as a top 10 prospect (nobody with eyes and a brain should) and makes him the centerpiece of a deal.
That being said, Kenny Williams probably loves him. Wouldn’t surprise me if he’s the centerpiece in a Sale/Quintana deal. Such a Kenny move.
“Joey Gallo? Did you say Gallo? I’m Joey Callo!”
a big jump like Rua?
Huh?
He hit .209 over the final 4 months
I personally feel like they think his strikeout rate will never improve so they will hide him in the minors to try and hide the issue and maximize his trade value as a prospect this season.
As a Yankee fan I would deal for him and platoon him at third with Headley and let him adjust on a rebuilding team and see if he is a major leaguer. I would deal a low b level prospect along with Jacoby Elsbury while eating 30 million of the 90million remaining. If Texas is willing to do that I’m sure a leadoff CF better then Deshields is worth it?
Lol 0% chance Texas makes that deal. They aren’t trying to get rid of him for nothing. They’re trying to keep him in the minors and mentioned in the “top prospects” lists so he retains value as a trade chip (all while keeping him far away from major league pitching).
While a respectable attempt at a trade, this doesn’t make sense since instead of giving up a fairly valuable asset in Gallo to get Ellsbury for 4/60, they could give up a much less valuable one in a draft pick to get Fowler or Desmond (who are years younger) for the same contract (or less) or better yet could go for a buy-low move as with Desmond last season abd get like say Colby Rasmus for a m few million or something like that.
Then trade him rather than destroy his confidence and future