TODAY: The signing has officially been announced. The deal also contains a mutual option for the 2025 season.
JANUARY 23: The Nationals and first baseman/outfielder Joey Gallo have agreed to a one-year deal, reports Andrew Golden of The Washington Post (X links). The deal for the Boras Corporation client, which is pending a physical, is for $5MM with another $1MM available in performance bonuses.
Gallo, 30, has been the poster boy for the “three true outcomes” in a major league career that’s almost a decade old at this point. Having debuted with the Rangers in 2015, he has played in 863 games, with 198 home runs to his name in that time. He has struck out in 37.9% of his plate appearances, which is much higher than par. For reference, the league average in 2023 was 22.7%. But he’s also drawn walks in 14.8% of his career plate appearances, well beyond the 2023 league average of 8.6%.
It’s an unusual combination but one that still allows Gallo to be a productive offensive contributor when taken all together. Though his career batting line .197/.323/.466 has him below the Mendoza line, the walks and the homers still help him translate that into a wRC+ of 109. He signed a one-year, $11MM deal with the Twins for 2023 and batted .197/.323/.466 for a wRC+ of 104, hitting 21 home runs while striking out in 42.8% of his plate appearances.
It’s perhaps worth highlighting that the tenability of this oddly-shaped performance has declined over the years. Gallo had his best run with the Rangers from 2017 to 2019, slashing .217/.336/.533 in that time for a wRC+ of 120. He hit a rough patch in 2020 but then bounced back with a strong showing early in 2021, enough for him to be traded to the Yankees alongside Joely Rodríguez. But Gallo’s production fell off again after the deal and didn’t rebound in 2022, with the Yanks flipping him to the Dodgers midseason. He finished that season with a line of .160/.280/.357 and wRC+ of 86 before putting together a decent campaign with the Twins last year.
Despite the huge pop in his bat, the up-and-down nature of his past few seasons would make him a risky bet for a contending club. But for the Nationals, it’s a sensible fit for a number of reasons. Last month, it was reported that the club was looking to add some left-handed power to its lineup. That was a logical target with their outfield mix consisting of Lane Thomas, Stone Garrett, Joey Meneses, Victor Robles, Jacob Young and Alex Call, all of whom hit from the right side.
Beyond that, the club isn’t likely to be in contention this year, having been aggressively rebuilding in recent seasons. Last offseason, they gave modest one-year deals to bounceback candidates like Corey Dickerson, Dominic Smith and Jeimer Candelario. The first two of those didn’t work out but Candelario played well enough to be flipped to the Cubs for a couple of prospects.
The Nats can insert Gallo into the middle of their lineup and hope that he is producing enough to follow a similar trajectory to Candelario last year. If he is having another rough campaign like he did in 2022, he can simply be released like Dickerson was.
The fit also makes sense with the prospects in the system. Outfielders James Wood and Dylan Crews are two of the most highly-rated prospects in the league, and each could plausibly be nearing a major league debut. Wood spent most of last year in Double-A and will likely begin the upcoming season in Triple-A. Crews was just drafted last summer but managed to join Wood in Double-A by the end of the year. Robert Hassell isn’t as highly rated as those two but is another notable outfield prospect who finished last year at Double-A.
With those prospects potentially pushing for major league at-bats by the summer, Gallo can be seen as a placeholder. If he is mashing, he can be traded for prospects. If not, he can be released. In either case, he would yield second half playing time to someone in that group. If each of the prospects are struggling and aren’t justifying a promotion, perhaps Gallo could stay in Washington through the end of the year, as Smith did in 2023.
Gallo is also considered a solid defender, which is a plus. His outfield glovework has led to career tallies of 42 Defensive Runs Saved, four Outs Above Average and a grade of 15.0 from Ultimate Zone Rating. His work at first base isn’t graded as strongly, but he’s passable there as well, with over 1,000 career innings at that spot. Meneses is currently slated to get the bulk of the playing time at first base but the club doesn’t have a strict designated hitter, giving them some ability to rotate players around based on health and matchups.
This makes me extremely happy. That’s how desperate us Nats fans are.
He’ll provide lots swing-and-miss data to analyze.
I think the $1 Million in incentives kicks in if he hits above .175
I wouldn’t want Gallo on my team, but I get it, the Nationals are in a deep hole.
.169
At least we have a lead-off hitter now. I know C.J. Abrams and Lane Thomas are more qualified, but logic be dammed in D.C.
I figured the incentive was based on his swings and misses lowering the air conditioning bill.
Hey, you got your WS championship. Be happy. No complaining. The rest of us have been suffering a long time.
Gallo’s humor?
Or strikes out less than 175 times and or less than 30% of at bats ….. Truly do wish him and nats fans a good season
@vaderzim not that I’m advocating for Gallo to be leadoff, he surprisingly has a tiny lead in OBP over Abrams(.301 to .300). He is such an oddity of a player. It amazes me he can have that good of eye for strikes but yet be so bad at making contact when he decides to swing.
With Nats team I’d obviously want Abrams leading off. With current roster tho Id rather Gallo leadoff opposed to Thomas. Only reason being I wouldn’t want a guaranteed 1 AB minimum that Thomas would have no base runners for an AB.
That’s not a testament to Gallo in any way, just Nats lineup is that weak that any attempt to have base runners for Thomas is a must.
That’s swing-and-Ms.
We do have female followers…
Maybe he can draw more female fans like Travis Kelce does and get a girlfriend to attend all games.
Joey, meet Taylor Whiff.
For that, you are condemned to the Gallo(s)…
Where , of course, you will be well hung…
Don’t be so augmentative, Curls!!
If he’s the only legit LH power in the lineup, he will also take a ton of pitches, because nobody will give him anything to hit.
The jays need a RHH platoon/4th OF. Nats fans is there any of your OF mix that has that and you would trade for a Santiago espinal or Yimi Garcia or Trevor Richards
The Nats should consider trading Lane Thomas and his 2 remaining years of team control. In reality they’ll probably DFA Alex Call to make room for Gallo.
Mainly miss
He struck-out twice @the press conference !
Hard not to like the signing. The Nationals aren’t contending so if he sucks it doesn’t matter. Could be good and fun to watch and could be dealt at the deadline for long term help.
I’m rooting for a season where he hits more home runs than Singles and Doubles combined (Triples too, but I doubt he’ll hit any).
I want a high “Home Runs to Hits” ratio, ideally 20 bombs with a .150 Batting Average.
If he ends up being terrible, get a rope and send him to the Gallo(s)
Gallo should have gone to the Padres but they are too CHEAP.
5 million?!
5 million?!
The Padres can’t afford 5 million?!
They raised ticket prices and yet can’t scrounge up enough for a left fielder and center fielder?!
What the heck are the cheap Padres doing?!
Padres had to take out loans to make payroll last year. Seidler gone, that won’t happen again.
Listen…that’s like what 4mill over what minimum is? Yea, too much for anyone to pay! But on the real, Padres don’t have that kind of money to spend bruh. Maybe Willie Mays Hayes from back in the day is available!
As a Padres fan, I’m glad they never signed Gallo. All he does is strike out.
Complaining about Joey Gallo signing elsewhere is a very low bar. I’m happy he didn’t sign with my fav team, and feel $5MM was an overpay. Why pay that much for someone who is likely to get cut before the season ends.
I can’t believe Joey is only 30. Dude was mashing in his very young 20s. Wow.
Yeah really thought Gallo would try another round again with the Yankees. Lolololololol!!!
Washington—where dreams go to die.
For 5 mil, I wish Preller and the Padres would of taken him.
That’s less than they are paying Carpenter to play somewhere else. And isn’t Hosmer still on the payroll?
Makes sense
He plays hard, can run, can field. Hmmm, what are his weaknesses? Can’t think of any right now
I think he strikes out occasionally.
What are his weaknesses? Um, I think the real question is what are his strengths? He’s almost always an automatic out
Leadership is still an essential element in baseball and Gallo will do just that
You mean lead the league in strikeouts?
He’s only led the AL. This is his chance to lead the NL!
The most overrated “skill” in sports. Those who can’t do, “lead.”
At that level, I’m pretty sure all of those young players could find their way back to the dugout after a K without Gallo’s leadership.
Hasn’t hit .200 since 2019. If he played full-time his entire career, he’d be in the top five in career strikeouts.
uhh no he’d probably be 1st all time in strikeouts
Reggie Jackson holds the record for the most career strikeouts by a batter with 2,597. Jim Thome (2,548), Adam Dunn (2,379), Sammy Sosa (2,306), Alex Rodriguez (2,287), Miguel Cabrera (2,105), and Andrés Galarraga (2,003) are the only other hitters to strikeout over 2,000 times.
Not bad company.
The best ability is availability.
WAR really values his fielding.
Looks like he replaces Dominic Smith. Makes sense. I thought he was a good fit for the Padres too but this makes sense. Money isn’t too bad. Gallo is a mess but certainly has upside could be flipped at the deadline.
I would really like to see Yepez rebound and get a chance at contributing somewhere in the lineup. His glove stinks but the bat will play if he can recapture some of his previous numbers.
He has potential to post a Adam Dunn year, and get flipped. Definitely doesn’t hurt Washington they need all the help they can get to get them out of the rebuild
Oddly enough, Dunn was only below the Mendoza line in 1 of 14 seasons.
Can still hit about 30-35 dingers, but will bat about ,180 and strikeout a ton of times.
Bold of you to predict for him to raise his batting average next year…
It’s pretty incredible he has a career BA of .197 but his career OPS+ is still 109. He definitely does his trick well.
Waste of money. He’ll bat under .200 and hit a ton of home runs at meaningless at bats
I define waste of money by a team that spends as much as the Yankees yet have no WS trophies to show for it over the past decade
Don’t forget the Doyers too! Wait, last couple of years Padres resemble that remark…
Yes, but the Dodgers have actually had made it to the World Series, the Yankees haven’t since they last won it!
As opposed to all those rings on Joey Gallo’s fingers. Money spent on him, no matter how great or small, has been well spent.
Won’t be a waste of money if he can bring them back a prospect or 2 at the deadline…
“He’ll bat under .200 and hit a ton of home runs”
Which represents an upgrade for a rebuilding team like the Nats.
This guy is gonna kill the Mets
I bet you $1000 he doesn’t hit one out there. Ever.
There’s just no chance he won’t kill them. There is always one league-average player who looks like Barry Bonds when they come to Queens.
He was better than league average, but I remember how Daniel Murphy would assault the Mets when he rolled into town.
Just one?
keeping that on record for later
also joey gallo already hit one against the mets so you technically owe him 1000 dollars. better pay up buddy
Idk if I have ever seen a player swing and miss the ball by more than Joey gallo
That or watches pitches go for strikes without swinging
You must not have watched Chris Davis or Khris Davis much.
Or Mark Reynolds
Adam Dunn immediately comes to mind. Baez has been known to strike out a bit.
Prior to his sudden descent in his final 4 seasons, Adam Dunn had a career .251 BA and a .902 OPS and averaged 35 HRs and 88 RBIs per year. He struck out a lot those first 10 years, 163 times a year on average, but he produced consistently and netted MVP votes three times. He hit 40+ HRs in 5 consecutive seasons. He was not a Joey Gallo. He was actually a Schwarber with a better BA. If only the Nats had gotten a Dunn.
Don’t get me wrong here I was a massive Adam Dunn fan but at the time he was known as a k machine
If Joey puts up the same numbers that Adam Dunn did in DC, that would be a huge win. Strike-outs be damned.
You haven’t seen someone swing and miss as often as Gallo because there’s never been anyone that bad at swinging and missing. Gallo has the lowest contact rate of any batter of all time with at least 2000 career plate appearances at 60.6%. Russell Branyan is the next highst at 63%. Both Chris (67.4%) and Khris (69%) Davis have a contact rate above 65%
I was talking about the actual distance between the ball and his bat. I’ve seriously seen him miss the ball by 8 fkn inches
It’s a good signing, for the Nats, for $5mm
Arguably the most underrated stadium in all of MLB.
I forgot he existed tbh
It’s amazing this guy has a job. Aren’t there any slugger in AAA that can strike out as much as Gallo and hit 25 homers?
For the league minimum….
Matt Adams.
Gallo has a career average of 38 HRs per 162 games. Plenty of guys can hit 25, not as many can run into 40.
178iq
“Aren’t there any slugger in AAA that can strike out as much as Gallo and hit 25 homers?”
1) not many, no
2) that you think that’s all he does reveals that intelligence and knowledge aren’t the same thing
3) I do not believe your IQ tested st 178 from any legitimate source
As a Rangers fan if someone had told me five years ago he’d be playing on a one-year deal for about league average salary for a vet player with some pop still I’d both believe it and not.
The highs would have led me to think he’d signed a long-term deal before his last big deal expired, but the lows would say it might be an overpay even at just $5 million. He was exhilarating and frustrating, but glad saw him when it was more exhilarating.
Even as a fan of the rangers, I felt he was overrated. Never made contact enough to be a difference maker with the bat. Most of his ABs ended in a walk or strikeout (mostly the strikeout). He didn’t walk because his eye was good either it’s because teams knew they could pitch around him with how weak the rest of the team was then.
I miss him in Texas, but he’s a shell of himself.
He was never the same after he left Texas.
Gallo is a great defender, 20+ homers, record breaking strikeouts and way below batting average.
He was my favorite player until Corey Seager and then Jacob deGrom. Kershaw may be my favorite by this summer, though. I still have Gallo’s image on my lock screen.
Does he get the $1m if he breaks Mark Reynolds’ 223 strikeout record?
I like this for the Nats. They have a solid group of contact hitters and put a good amount of pressure on opposing teams to play defense. Gallo could be just enough of a power threat to add some balance into the lineup.
They should have signed Greg Bird
Greg has made it back from injuries and deserves a chance to prove my belief in him is warranted
Count me in on that thought. I’d love to see Bird finally stay healthy & play regularly.
No reason to joke. all he needs is a good half and he’s trade bait. buy low move and could turn into prospects.
I’d prefer an Adam & Drake LaRoche platoon at DH.
Lol
Another one the Padres have let get away!!!
I wanted Gallo for the Padres.
Only 5 million for one season is entirely reasonable!
The Padres let Soto and Grisham walk and have done ZERO to replace them.
Why would you want Padres to sign a player that hit .171 . Pauley , Merrill , Mercado , Ornelas , Marsee can get a look in LF and see what they can do.
But the power, man? Is the farm the way they are going to go?
40 % SO . .171 BA for 20 HR Yeah I would go farm route for the league min.
Gallo with a G? He’s dead.
I’m Joey Callo with a “C” ….C A L L O
The judge isn’t buying that story!
Then there were the 2 utes!
The season hasn’t started and he already struck out 4 times.
If pitchers didn’t walk him, he’d probably have been out of the league a while ago.
The same would apply to 80% of MLB players.
If pitchers didn’t walk Bonds he’d have over 1000 career home runs but pitchers do walk people so neither point stands.
Yuck. Wouldn’t touch it with a ten foot pole (the contract cause it’s rude to call a human an “it”). Could see why it makes sense for Wash tho. A player like Gallo has a lot of pressure because, frankly, they almost always make an out (or maybe a walk-the least productive positive outcome) and if you aren’t hitting on a contending team you are gonna draw some boos and sit on a bench a good bit (fans don’t get too excited about BB). There is no pressure in Washington (said no politician ever) and he will be guaranteed a job (probably), tho it didn’t help Dom Smith. Could get on a roll and put up some decent numbers. Ultimately if you need him or are banking on trading him for a prospect that’s not a good sign.
This guy would be getting a minors contract if not for 2 games last season (April 2nd; August 12th).
He’s cheap, the team isn’t contending, and the low stakes environment might do him good, especially since Nationals Park is pitcher/hitter neutral. A guy with more upside would have been Brandon Belt, but he might cost more. Maybe Nationals flip him at the deadline just Jeimer Candelario last deadline.
You listed his career stats twice. His line last season was .177/.301/.440
I noticed that too. Scary to think his career average is under .200, yet still gets attention.
padam
“Scary to think his career average is under .200, yet still gets attention.”
Because the time where front offices hired people who,thought batting average was worth looking at are over
IT IS still worth looking at. I’d rather have a guy with a .330 OBP who hit .280, than a guy who hit .240 and walked a lot to get to .330. HIts still drive in runs more often than walks. Sometimes more that one run..
sw
“IT IS still worth looking at. I’d rather have a guy with a .330 OBP who hit .280, than a guy who hit .240 and walked a lot to get to .330. HIts still drive in runs more often than walks. Sometimes more that one run..”
It’s not worth looking at
Look at wRC+ instead
OBP treats a walk and a hit the same. That’s wrong
Batting average treats a single and home run the same. That’s wrong
wOBA treats HR>3B>2B>1B>BB
Gallo is a prime example of why MLB shouldn’t even think about expansion in the next 20 years.
He’s a prime example of why people think baseball in 2023 is boring, too. I know what analytics and his OPS/SLG stats are and how he’s slightly above average for his career, but it just sucks to watch.
You need Banana Ball, brother.
Savannah Bananas?
Joey Gallo is literally the perfect player to bat No 9 in any lineup lol – as long as your catcher is JT Realmuto or a comparable catcher of offense capability.
stretch
“Joey Gallo is literally the perfect player to bat No 9 in any lineup”
Why do you say that?
I have two guesses
The hopeful guess: you know enough about baseball to know a good OBP in the 9th spot can increase run scoring since rhe best hitters bat after the 9 hitter. That said, while Gallo puts up decent OBP’s his power probably suits him better closer to the middle of the order. Not right behind the 8th hitter who,should be the worst in the lineup.
The pessimistic guess. You think that because “his batting average sux”
Gallo is awful. Stop with trying to say he’s a productive MLB hitter. He struck out in slightly over 50% of his official ABs in 2023. That’s disgusting. This guy should be playing for the LI Ducks
He was still better than the average mlb player last year. Okay. Just barely but he still did it. He is a poor man’s version of Kyle Schwarber with the bat but is better defensively.
“Slugger” lol he shouldn’t even be on a major league roster
Quinnap
“he shouldn’t even be on a major league roster”
Unlikely there are 780 better players in MLB. There certainly aren’t 780 with better potential
He deserves a spot
The good: Joey loves the fans, we loved him in Texas, he has a decent glove, he has monster power, he walks, he plays hard and is a good clubhouse guy. He also can be traded for prospects if he plays well or released if he doesn’t.
The bad: he strikeouts more than a fugly guy at a lesbian wedding. He will sink your average but he provides his own air-conditioning.
I see this signing as win win.
Based on his contributions over the past 2-3 seasons you’d be lucky to get a bag of balls in a trade….never going to get prospects…and you don’t pay him to walk…
He isn’t going to steal 10+ bases and his strikeouts leave baserunning open to strike them out throw them out DPs….younger guys would play hard and keep their mouths shut in the club house….shocking the Nats would rather play him then a rookie looking for a chance.
Hey, the Yankees got Clatyon Beeter from the Dodgers for Gallo when he was batting .160 with a 76 OPS+ at the 2022 trade deadline. Beeter certiantly isn’t an insignificant prospect as he ranks top 15 in the Yankees’ system by FanGraphs and MLB Pipeline, and was added to the Yankees’ 40-man roster to protect him from the R5 draft. He’s ovbiously never going to get a Juan Soto pacakge, but still might be able to bring back something of note.
I’m just looking for a player to fill the coveted Adam Dunn spot
What a horrible signing for a young team that has almost zero chance of making the playoffs!
Unless they plan on trading Lane Thomas for prospects, they have an outfield of Lane Thomas, Jacob Young and Stone Garrett, with Victor Robles capable of backing up and of the three outfield spots. If Robles gets hot, he could pass Young or Garrett on my depth chart. I like a lineup that starts with Abrams and Young followed by Thomas and Meneses. The speed at the top of the lineup is dynamic and the Nationals don’t have much else.
Meneses is 1B or DH and Gallo is not good enough to burn a DH or 1B spot.
Gallo is a 5th OF for a contender who has a weak defense high bat OF that needs replacing in late innings. At most.
I’m a Nats fan and who exactly are they supposed to sign?
They’re playing out another lost season and it doesn’t matter who plays the outfield or DH or first or whatever.
Anyone who’s not a hot prospect knocking on the door or a megabuck free agent who came here to make it his clubhouse (and why would they bother signing one now, when they have at best half a core at the major league level?) might as well be you or me.
This is rebuilding. It’s what it is.
They need to give the at-bats to Jacob Young to see if he is a dynamic add before Dylan and Wood are ready. Garrett too, to a lesser extent. Gallo is a waste. Fuzz, you made the best argument for it, but I would skip Gallo and run with the younger players.
Gallo is the first player in baseball history to have a batting average below .180 and an OPS+ above 100 in 300+ plate appearances in one season. The next closest is Mark McGwire in 2001 who batted .187 with a 105 OPS+.
Joey Gallo stats in 2024:
Total 2024 season stats: .190 avg 15 HR .400 OPS
During games vs the Mets: .357 avg 12 HR 1.738 OPS
He has a lot of power but can’t hit a bowling ball with a bat.
You had me at Adam Dunn…
You mean THE Adam Dunn, the original Juan Soto! He started off great but took a dive as he got older.
Why didn’t they just hang on to Luke Voit instead?
Luke voit is older and not as good. Plus he is limited defensively.
Decent pickup for the Nats. Upside is strong production and a tradeable asset, worse case cut mid season
Gallo feels like he pushes the three-true-outcomes envolope a little more every year as an experiment as to how far he can take it before teams give up on him. He is the only sub-Mendoza batter ever to have an above average OPS+ in at least 2000 career plate appearances. He has the highest strikeout rate ever in baseball history with as many plate appearances. He’s like baseball’s thought experiment, but he’s actually doing it.
Amazing. His contracts are trending down each year, but life is good when a player can still get a $5MM guaranteed deal, with another million in incentives.
Boras scraping the bottom of the barrel with the gnats, who used to sign his free agents. Is the $1 mil bonus if Snell signs with the gnats?
This guy knows the flaws in his game, admits to it, but still can’t bother to change his approach to improve. P
Gallo would be the GOAT 16″ softball player.
They thought they were signing Joey CALLO…
He just wanted to distinguish himself from the stage actor.
Who remembers when Joey Gallo used to be good?
I do and he was actually on pace to have career high batting average until he was out for the rest of the 2019 season (was hitting .253 through 70 games).
Poor work ethic and an unwillingness to make adjustments. He could have been something special if he’d gotten out of his own way and opened himself to instruction.
So you have inside track of his work ethics & unwillingness to make adjustments? You like so many other fan talent evaluators. They don’t know jack.
AJ Preller is heartbroken
Ok first off, the number of comments on this article are crazy. Who knew a Joey Gallo signing would get people talking?
Second off, I really wish someone would convince this guy to tryout being a relief pitcher before its too late. I think I read somewhere that he can hit 100 on the radar gun. See if he can remake himself before zero teams will give him a league minimum deal anymore.
He just got $5MM as a hitter. How many teams would even offer him a non-roster ST invite if he became a reliever? I’m not quite following your math. Just bc someone can hit triple-digits on a radar gun doesn’t mean that they can pitch and get hitters out.
Agreed, he may not be able to. But I also wonder how long those deals will last. And if he was able to convert, and was dominant, it could lead to a longer career. But if the 1 year deals keep getting offered then yeah I doubt he tries.
B for Nats. I would have sold him on what we did for Josh Bell and saved a million or 2. He was pretty solid last year. Average will still be low and strike outs high but I believe they will improve from last year. I don’t like high k guys but they still have value. I like this for them.
I’m sure White Sox fans are not happy with him signing with Nationals. They were waiting & hoping Sox would sign him to give them more incentive to be the awful fans they are. I’m glad Sox didn’t sign him, dude can’t hit anymore.
Exactly, he used to be very good despite the low average and high strikeout total, but then he collapsed when he was traded to the Yankees.
I’m kind of not shocked that so many comment equate his batting average to making outs rather than his OBP. His OBP would have been 5th on last year’s Nats with over 250 PAs, and one of those guys was Jeimer (and another was Dom). He’s the 3rd best bat coming back behind Thomas and Stone.by wOBA and OPS. The Ks are unsightly, but let’s not obsess so much about those instead of weak groundballs. The Nats are a sad case, but even a diminished Gallo upgrades this team as well as balances the left / right mix at LF/1B/DH.
actually, the .301 OBP would have been much lower. among the returning Nats, but his OPS is 3rd.
I sincerely feel sorry for Cats fans because you’ve had to suffer through some awful seasons of sub-standard play, and you’ve had bad luck of your 2 biggest pitcher signings.
But you will learn after watching Gallo everyday (as Yankee fans learned) that IT IS HIDEOUSLY PAINFUL watching Gallo for a full season.
They’ll be dozens of times where the timing or winning run is on 2nd or 3rd, and all you need is a single, and Gallo will say screw the win, I’m swing for an HR. When you see that from Gallo 90% of the time, your opinion on him will change drastically.
Btw, OBP is another stat that misused, as I noted earlier. But don’t take my word for it; how about the word of JIM KAAT, a Hall of Fame?
Jim Kaat once correctly noted that Strikeouts should be factored into the formula for OBP to accurately reflect a player’s value because the “hitter” failed miserably to do his job in those instances.
If you did that with Gallo’s hideous lifetime K total of 1,190, his .323. lifetime OBP would likely be in the high .100s or low .200s, which truly reflects his actual value as a player.
Manlet
“Ignorant blah blah blah”
Strikeouts are already factored into OBP. OBP measures often a player doesn’t make an out. Strikeouts are an out. Thus, they are counted as making an out.
Kaat was good at throwing a baseball, doesn’t mean he knows anything about baseball statistics.
He actually hit .177/.301/.741 last year. I thought it was interesting that your article had him hitting the exact same line in his career and in 2023.
Hopefully this is the tip of the iceborasberg signings. Let’s Go !
Nobody hits a ball harder and less often than Joey Gallo.
But the exit velocity, man!
BlueSkies_LA, since when did Joey “Whiff” Gallo hit “the ball harder” then Aaron Judge?
Your comment is Absurd.
In 2023 Hard H%: Judge=64.4, Gallo=52.9
Plus, Judge hit the Baseball at a .267 clip (despite injuries), whereas
Gallo hit a PATHETIC .177.
So, Hard Hit % is another phony stat in some respects because it doesn’t factor in how often the hitter actually HITS the ball, which is kinda the point of the game if you’re a hitter.
Gallo’s HH% is largely Worthless because he RARELY actually hits the ball. So, what if he hits it hard 1 out of 50 swings (or whatever it is precisely).
I record a Par or Birdie at least 90% of the time when I hit the green in regulation. So, I’m Great, Right? Except I only hit the green in regulation 3-5 times a round, so that 90% is MEANINGLESS! Understand now, BlueSkies_LA?
And Stop Pulling False Stats Out of You Know Where! Many hitters hit the ball harder than Gallo, and they do it far more often!
Gallo S-T-I-N-K-S!!!
Somebody woke up with Twisted Knickers. And that’s for Sure!
No loss situation here for the Nats. 1 year deal that doesn’t block any prospects. With them rebuilding, at worst, he gives them a bat to pair with Joey M and hit some massive shots that will sell a few extra tickets. At best, he provides above average value and they can flip him before the deadline for maybe a serviceable minor leaguer and/or a a few lottery ticket prospects.
Of course they did. Been waiting all 0ff-season for at least one encouraging signing by the Nats. This is awful news. You’d be better off just promoting the kids no matter how they do in spring training than to bring in this walking disaster. What was it about his analytics that told the FO this was a good idea? The worst trend in modern baseball is the encouragement of these awful hitters who occasionally can hit a home run. And now that he is 30, what do the analytics say about his projected production? The long, disappointing 2024 season just got longer. Finally, whose desperation smells worse: The Nats’ or Gallo’s?
I don’t mind this move. Low cost, potentially a medium reward. He has 2 GG’s, lefty power hitter. Protect someone at the plate, hit a few longballs, save CJ’s throws in the dirt.
I hope Joey hits 50 bombs this year.
why, tell me why would they do this?
I’m surprised a MLB team is interested in Joey Gallo let alone sign him.I mean I’m speechless.
Strike out man
Guy’s gonna rake and walk.
Projection for 2024:
PA: 400
BA: 0.199
OBP: 0.323
Hits: 68
K: 125
BB: 59
HR: 26
Yes, Old York, with the stats you listed, which are comically high for Gallo . . .
He could, indeed, “rake” the field the Nationals’ field as a member of the Grounds Crew . . .
But that’s the ONLY thing Gallo will “rake.”
Not to be a “Debbie Downer” to the nice Nats fans here, but w/ all due respect, Gallo’s performance for the Twins was as brutal to watch as Miguel Sano’s downhill slide just prior. It was just awful. He is not an all around MLB’er whatsoever.
Before someone mentions his ability to draw walks and hit for power, I fully understand it all. Still, though, I just find it absolutely insane to see a .197 batting average and someone say that guy is still considered an abive average hitter.
Carrer slash and 2023 slash are identical, the guy is consistent at least, I guess ♂️
Somewhere out there, Rob Deer is reading this article and thinking, “Damn, if only I could have been born thirty years later..”
Did he really bat his career average last season?
He’s aged like a fine… Nope, he’s aged like a big ol’ jug of Gallo.
Nice try
This seems brilliant for the NATS….solid job. Trade bait come deadline and get some prospects for a very 3/4 season salary….frankly brilliant
If he hits 15 bombs and better a hit in 10 attempts someone one chasing a playoff spot will give you something for his name alone.
Strikeout machine.
I’ve never been sold on this guy. A ton of strikeouts.
Fans will Whine about the GALLO signing !!
The poster boy for the “three true outcomes” ??
The entire league has turned into three true outcomes.
Funny how when a below average player ends up on your team, he’s suddenly not so bad. Inst that how it works?
Having Gallo around will lower Nats AC bills this summer.
What Joey Gallo’s. career really shows us is how WORTHLESS wRC+ and some other “modern” baseball stats are.
When a player’s Career batting line .197/.323/.466 and wRC+ says THAT HIDEOUS PERFORMANCE IS 9% BETTER THAN AVERAGE (109), that tells us that wRC+ is a completely worthless stat.
I watched all 140 games Gallo played with the Yankees (I record games I miss & watch them later), and Gallo was easily ONE OF THE WORST PLAYERS I ever saw in 63 YEARS of watching baseball.
To say a “hitter” who Completely Misses Hitting the Ball almost 38% of the time (37.9% to be precise) is anything but HIDEOUS is comical.
Is Gallo’s 2022 stat line of .160/.280/.357 really ONLY 14% worse than average? Really?!
And it’s hysterical that the article said the Gallo put “together a decent campaign with the Twins last year.”
In 282 ABs, Gallo hit 21 HRs with 40 RBIs for the Twins. Think about that for a moment . . .
If just 1 man was on base in 10 of his HRs, then 31 of his 40 RBIs came in 21 ABs.
And that would mean that Gallo knocked in 9 people in his other 261 At Bats! Put another way, Gallo FAILED to plate a run in 252 ABs! Consider how Otherworldly AWFUL that is for a supposed power hitter.
How many games did the Twins lose by 1-2 runs during those 252 ABs when hideous Joey Gallo only accounted for 9 RBIs?
Gallo is one of the worst “power hitters” in baseball history, PERIOD.
For wRC+ to say at various times that he’s 9% Better than Average or even 14% Worse than Average tells us that either wRC+ is WORTHLESS or the “Average” MLB player should be playing Double-A Baseball.
Jim Kaat once correctly noted that Strikeouts should be included in OBP to accurately reflect a player’s value because the “hitter” failed miserably to do his job in those instances.
If you did that with Gallo’s hideous lifetime K total of 1,190, his .323. lifetime OBP would likely be in the high .100s or low .200s, which truly reflects his actual value as a player.
(f there’s a mathematician out there, you can calculate the precise #.)
M536
(ignorant rant)
If a player makes fewer outs than average and hits for more power than average, why should their total offense be worse than average?
Hey “Mantle,” get your application in immediately-start with the minor league organizations, I’m SERIOUS. Precarious age (Shouldn’t be the way it’s become, BUT….). I have a worthless Biz Adm from the late 90’s-just missed the tech age stuff.
This is a top 50 post on this nice website, in my opinion. I’m impressed by the fact you seem to have a happy medium between the “Good ole’ days” (..BA, hits, SO’s, HR’s, and RBI’s)), and the new age age analytic garbage.
Mark it down, if it goes any further, they’ll start counting how many times These guys fart in the dugout here soon. Anyway, your a rockstar in my opinion, dude.
Same question to you, KKR
If a player makes fewer outs than average and hits for more power than average, how are they not an above average hitter?
Filihok-if I had a MLB arm, dude, I would NOT want to pitch to Gallo-he’s certainly not a dumb guy, but a career .200 BA Is WHAT it Is, too. I used to have this stuff memorized, I’ve gotten too old, friend. Per 600 Ab’s, a .250 average would clearly be a .250 BA.
As a Twins fan, as much as I Lopez they got last year from Miami-as a person, especially, to me, it went down as one trades in MN’s history because they gave Arraez, sp.
Arraez should average, then, 100 more hits than Gallo, per season, about 2/3rds of one, per the 162 game schedule. Gallo, though, if he’s “On,” man, anybody w/ a half take-the CAN change A GAME by himself.
Unlike Arraez, though, Gallo wasn’t like Luis during his one year tenure in MN-memory serving, he started out fairly well, utterly disappeared in the 2nd half, and he was hit and miss in the beginning-couldn’t depend on him, even Rocco knew it a third of the way in. Every AB I watched, it looked like utter chaos. All the while, there was Arraez 1-4, 2-5, 4-6, 0-4, runner’s sacrifice.
The Twins use to have “Terry Ryan;”he was an utter genius until he became ill in the mid 2000’s-For as good as Lopez is(Clubhouse influence, more than anything), TR would’ve traded Arraez-Falvey and Levine come in with their nintendo head gear, and it all went to hell up here.
I hope some of this makes sense, dude. Nice talking w/ you anyway, buddy, sincerely.
Hey, apologies for the piss poor spelling-I don’t know what type of spell checks are on this thing, man, but this doesn’t make sense anymore-same thing is happening with my emails, too. Can’t figure this out, began only about a month ago-a virus, somehow, has to be. Sorry, man-
Is he trying to improve his batting average and not succeeding or he’s even not trying?
Decent campaign with the Twins? Sure it was.
Nats were one of the best in MLB about putting ball in play last year and worst in power. This will move them toward center in both. Any luck he hits well and is gone at the deadline.