All Gallo’s eve
Rangers’ prospect ready to bust out
NO MATTER hhow goodd a player is, sometimes it is impossible to live up to the hype.
Joey Gallo has been among the most-hyped prospects in several years, but has struggled in his brief time in The Show. Now, he gets a chance to prove his doubters wrong, as he is back with the Rangers.
Gallo’s power never has been in doubt. He smashed 146 home runs in 453 minor league games. Heck, seven of hi s 23 bigleague hits before Friday night were home runs, including a 450foot blast on Tuesday.
Gallo’s biggest issue is striking out. In 132 big league plate appearances before Friday, he had struck out 61 times (46.2 percent). From 2014-15, he struck out more than 38 percent of the time in the minors, but improved this season to 30.4 percent. The number is still high, but it is a sign of improvement. Despite all the strikeouts, Gallo maintained a solid batting average (.256), onbase percentage (.371), slugging percentage (.595) and walked in almost 15 percent of his at-bats.
Gallo may look more like the second coming of Adam Dunn than he does a fantasy stud, but his is a small sample size — he is just a 22-year-old who hasn’t been in the majors much.
Withh Prince Fielderld out for the season and the ability to play multiple positions (first, third, outfield and designated hitter ), Gallo finally should see plenty of playing time, and he is available in 80 percent of ESPN leagues and 70 percent at Yahoo. Even if you’re scared he will drag down your batting average, keep him on your bench until he gets going. But, don’t let him sit there long, because he soon will be hitting homers for some other team.
With the trade deadline Monday, and teams forever changing, here is a look at prospects who could soon be making a difference for your squad: Top prospect Alex Breg
man already joined the Astros (and was looking for his first big league hit entering Friday ), but Yu lie ski
Gourriel could be an intriguing addition. In 15 seasons in Cuba, he hit .335 with 250 homers, 1,018 RBIs, 121 stolen bases, a .417 on-base percentage and a .997 OPS over 925 games. There are question marks: He is 32, hasn’t played since last year (when he hit .500 and struck out just three times in 224 plate appearances) and never has played in the majors. But, did the unknown affect your decision to grab Jose Abreu in 2014? Nor should it when Gourriell makes it to The Show. San Diego dealt Melvin
Upton Jr. and could be looking to deal Matt Kemp, which should open up a spot for
Hunter Renfroe or Manuel Margot to join the red-hot Alex Dickerson and speedy
Travis Jankowski in the majors. Renfroe has big power (72 homers in 404 minor league games), and Margot could provide a boost in stolen bases (156 in 435 minor league games). Both should be stashed now.
Jose Berrios’ four-game stint earlier this season left much to be desired (1-1, 10.20 ERA, 2.133 WHIP, 7.2 walks per nine), but it was just four games. This is a pitcher who has nothing left to prove in Triple-A (10-5, 2.44 ERA, 1.006 WHIP, 111 strikeouts) and already is a better option than anyone on the Twins’ staff, which entered Friday with a 4.91 ERA (second-worst in the majors) and just one starter with an ERA under 4.00. If the Yankees deal Carlos
Beltran, we could see Aaron Judge in The Bronx soon. The outfielder, who has been battling a knee injury, is hitting .261 with 16 homers, 54 RBIs and a .825 OPS this season at Triple-A.