The Minnesota Twins have boasted a roster of unforgettable players throughout their storied history, though not always for the reasons fans might hope.
Among them are the cherished fan favorites who ignite the stands with excitement, and others whose tenure you’d rather erase from memory.
Some flame out before Spring Training even wraps, while others stubbornly cling to the lineup, enduring the full season for better or worse.
Despite the 2023 MN Twins winning the AL Central and having their best postseason run in decades, it’s hard to remember that Joey Gallo was part of it.
He signed a one-year deal for $11 million, and gave the Twins a putrid .177/.301/.440 line across 111 games to show for it.
Rocco Baldelli opted against putting Gallo on the postseason roster in 2023. He then went to Washington last year and had a career-worst 74 OPS+ in 76 games. This offseason he signed with the worst team in baseball. Now, even the Chicago White Sox have sent him packing.
Chicago White Sox release former Twins slugger Joey Gallo
Joey Gallo found his way back to the AL Central by way of the Chicago White Sox. That’s a bottom-of-the-barrel landing spot after they lost an MLB-record 121 games last season. Just under two weeks before Opening Day he was granted his release.
Through nine Cactus League games, Gallo had just two hits in 21 plate appearances. What’s worse is that he also owned an 11/1 K/BB. For a guy who has always struck out a ton, the lack of ability to draw walks is a new problem.
It’s also entirely plausible that Gallo simply doesn’t know where the strike zone is anymore. His pitch challenge against San Diego Padres starter Dylan Cease was nothing short of hilarious earlier this spring.
At his best, Gallo was a on-base machine. Despite leading the league with 213 strikeouts in 2021, he also walked a league-leading 111 times. He has just a career .194 batting average, but has gotten on base at a .319 clip.
Now 31 years old and released by baseball’s worst team, it’s probably time for Gallo to consider a different form of employment. Coincidentally, he is doing just that.
Joey Gallo now focusing on the mound
It’s time to notate Gallo as a former outfielder. Across 890 career big league games he has played 592 of them in the outfield. He also has 206 at first base and another 92 at the hot corner. He has graded out positively from a defensive metrics standpoint, and his arm shined from the grass. One spot he has not played, quite literally ever, is pitcher.
That’s about to change.
It remains to be seen if Gallo will be given an immediate affiliated opportunity after switching to the mound.
The Guardians have former outfielder Tyler Naquin trying to make it back as a pitcher. Anthony Gose, coincidentally another former Guardian, did make the transition from outfield to the mound.
It’s a natural progression for a player with a big arm to try their hand throwing the ball by batters. Gallo was drafted out of high school and began pro ball at 18.
That means he last pitched at least 13 years ago. He’ll certainly be hoping that he has a better grasp of the zone from the mound than he has shown recently in the box.
The assumption should be that Gallo will look to make it as a reliever that can unleash his arm in short bursts. In 2022 and 2023 Gallo’s arm ranked in the 90th and 82nd percentile from the outfield per Baseball Savant.
