Texas Rangers: Joey Gallo Not Yet Ready for Prime Time

Joey Gallo was a first round draft pick of the Texas Rangers in 2012. By all accounts at the time, he was destined for stardom and would rise through the minor leagues quickly to assume a permanent spot in the Rangers lineup. It hasn’t happened and questions are arising as to whether it will ever happen.

Joey Gallo is a name that is familiar to those who have followed baseball over the past few years. And he is especially familiar to fans of the Texas Rangers. However, so far in his stunted big league career, he has managed to play in only 53 games with a batting average of .173.

Now, it is being reported that he will begin the 2017 season in the minors, presumably at Triple-A Round Rock. What gives?

Joey Gallo has had a total of 53 at bats in a major league uniform for the Texas Rangers as a former first round pick. So the question really reverts back to the Rangers; how much of an investment do they really have in this player?

To illustrate the point, the New York Mets traded for Travis d’Arnaud in a deal with Toronto because they believed that he was their catcher of the future. He’s had more than 1,000 at bats to prove himself. He hasn’t, so the Mets are (hopefully) looking elsewhere. But they gave their player a chance!

Another indication that Joey Gallo may be caught in the middle of a Rangers conundrum is this quote from the same article by Rangers GM Jon Daniels:

“We think Joey is going to be a very good player in this league, but when is still too early to say. Ideally, he’d probably get a little more time, unless there is a big jump like Ryan Rua took last year.”

Not exactly a ringing endorsement if you are Joey Gallo sitting at home pondering your future in baseball. For Gallo, though, he had hoped to make an impression by playing winter ball in Venezuela, but strained his hamstring after just three days. He will be prohibited from baseball activity until mid-December and will not return to Venezuela. It means he will go to Spring Training with very little to show for his recent efforts.

The Rangers are also facing the potential departure of Mitch Moreland, who despite a line that reads .233, 22 HR, 60 RBI in 2016 has been a favorite of the Rangers over the last few years.

The minor leagues are filled with players who would be playing in “The Show” if only given the chance. Maybe the Rangers know something about Gallo that doesn’t jive with what is seen from the outside looking in.