Texas Rangers’ third baseman and top prospect Joey Gallo made his Major League debut yesterday, was slotted 6th in the lineup, and what a day it was. He went 3 for 4 with a two run single, a double, drove in 4 runs, hit a jaw-dropping two run 418 foot moonshot, and was given a curtain call from the Rangers’ faithful in Texas’ 15-2 victory over the Chicago White Sox.
The 21 year old from Henderson, Nevada was thrown right into the fire facing right hander Jeff Samardzija, who before last night was 4-2 with a 3.84 earned run average for the last place White Sox, and it’s safe to say that he passed the test with flying colors. Gallo was called up from Double A to replace the injured Adrian Beltre, who was put on the disabled list with a thumb injury.
So now what? They called him up so that he can be in the lineup every day, but what happens when Beltre comes back from the disabled list assuming Gallo continues to show what he can do? Does he move to the outfield? This is a Texas Rangers team who has struggled mightily for quite some time and now adding Josh Hamilton as well as Joey Gallo to this lineup has the potential to do a lot of damage in a division that is still, in my opinion, very winnable. They say that he’s got some of the Chicago Cubs’ Kris Bryant in him as they’re both 6 foot 5 third basemen with raw power, but that he’s also rather like Adam Dunn where he can be all or nothing, a home run or a strikeout.
Obviously, it isn’t wise to jump to conclusions and say that Gallo is the future and that he’s going to be an all star at this level, but not everybody can hit a ball that far. He’s a big third baseman who has shown off his ability to hit, and at just 21 years old, the sky is the limit for this kid.
Joey Gallo is far from a finished product, and I for one am looking forward to seeing what he can do with this opportunity to help his team try to become relevant again. If this kid becomes a major threat and can play the outfield, just imagine a lineup with first baseman Prince Fielder, Adrian Beltre, Joey Gallo, and Josh Hamilton in the middle of it. Now that is a potential powerhouse. The Rangers also need their ace Yu Darvish to come back from his injury, but it’s safe to say that they’re moving in the right direction.
Texas is currently at 27-25 and sitting in third place in the American League West.
