Joey Gallo was released by the Chicago White Sox on Sunday, leading to the two-time MLB All-Star taking to social media to announce he would trying his hand at pitching.
Gallo was one of baseball’s most prolific power bats, hitting the sixth-most home runs in the league from 2017 to 2021, including 41 and 40 in the two years to start that stretch. Now 31 and without a team, Gallo has always struggled with strikeouts and his career batting average is a mere .194.
Gallo had his most success with the Texas Rangers, who selected him in the 2012 draft. A two-time Gold Glove winner, Gallo made his debut in 2015 and became a regular in 2017, earning All-Star nods in 2019 and 2021. The Rangers traded him to the New York Yankees at the 2021 deadline, which is when Gallo’s drop-off began.
He had a .660 OPS in 140 games for the Yankees, who unloaded him to the Los Angeles Dodgers the following summer. Gallo spent 2023 with the Minnesota Twins and 2024 with the Washington Nationals, hitting .170 with a .685 OPS and 244 strikeouts in 505 at-bats over the past two seasons before signing with the White Sox for spring training. Gallo was 2-for-20 with no home runs, one walk and 11 strikeouts in 21 Cactus League plate appearances before his release.
Gallo displayed one of the strongest outfield arms in baseball – ranking in the 90th percentile as recently as 2012 – so he may have a future on the mound, but he’s never pitched at the professional level. There’s certainly precedent for position players making a switch, but it is historically a rarity for an All-Star caliber player like Gallo.
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