Archive for Joey Gallo

There isn’t a whole lot of figuring things out when it comes to Joey Gallo. We know what he is, and we know what he isn’t. Coming in at 6’5″ and 235, he’s a behemoth of a man with a “dingers first and questions later” skill set, in the simplest sense. He’s shown surprising versatility, even if he doesn’t play any defensive position remarkably well (or even really competently). But just because we were all relatively aware of what Joey Gallo figured to become at the Major League level doesn’t make what he’s done this year any less astounding.

Read the rest of this entry »

Lately, my articles have been pitcher-happy. This week, I have no pitchers to suggest adding. Instead, I’m turning my focus to a quartet of hitters who are 25 years of age of younger. Three of the hitters are currently in the minors, but now’s a good time to be proactive and nab them in deeper leagues as opposed to getting sniped by someone with a higher waiver claim or more FAAB dollars available when they are summoned to the parent club. Read the rest of this entry »

It didn’t take long for a team to acquire Oswaldo Arcia after the Twins opted to designate him for assignment. He’ll get a fresh start for the injury-depleted Rays. With the non-waiver trade deadline on August 1st, Joey Gallo could finally get another crack at the majors soon. I’ve also got my eyes on a lefty throwing premium cheddar. James Paxton is lighting up the radar gun and received some love from Paul a few weeks ago. Read the rest of this entry »

In early March, I wrote about my first co-ownership experience with fellow Rotographs contributor Trey Baughn. To refresh, we have been paired up in a newly formed Ottoneu league which has added on a 5milb draft system and coupon incentive structure to reward higher finishes. Ottoneu leagues can be difficult as is – the structures in place have made this league feel more difficult than others.

Last month I touched on a couple key observations from our first few weeks of co-owning.

• Ottoneu auctions are easier with two people.
• Finding a co-owner with a compatible skill set is essential for the process to run smoothly.
• Communication is key.
• Roster moves are more difficult when you have to manage two sets of opinions.

I still agree with each of these points, but it was the beginning of March.  The season hadn’t started. Many trades had not been made, and most of the roster moves we had made had very minimal impact. Much has changed…

Read the rest of this entry »

Our Mock Draft is complete.

Team Schwartz/rounds drafted:

C: Travis d’Arnaud/17 1B: Victor Martinez/4 2B: Arismendy Alcantara/18 3B: Josh Donaldson/3 SS: Hanley Ramirez/2 MI: Jean Segura/19 CI: Prince Fielder/6 OF: Mike Trout/1; Mookie Betts/7; Ryan Zimmerman/10; A.J. Pollock/14; Steven Souza/20; Carl Crawford/24 U: Pedro Alvarez/21

Read the rest of this entry »

The most polarizing prospects are often those who juxtapose areas of tremendous skill with pervasive, troubling weaknesses. Supporters of such prospects will claim that the strengths will render the weaknesses irrelevant as the player progresses and faces tougher competition, while doubters will claim the opposite. Few players inspire this sort of phenomenon more strongly than Rangers third base prospect Joey Gallo, who launched 38 homers in just 106 games as a 19-year-old with Low-A Hickory…but also struck out a whopping 165 times in that span, good for an astronomical 37% strikeout rate.

It seems absurd to dismiss a teenager who swatted 38 homers in full-season ball while missing 33 games–that sort of accomplishment basically never happens. Had he stayed healthy for the whole season, Gallo almost certainly would have eclipsed the South Atlantic League record of 40 homers in a season, and probably would’ve broken the Low-A record of 42. He already holds the Arizona League homer record, with 18, set in 2012…despite being promoted early and missing 13 games. He has remarkable power. On the other hand, there’s only one player who has ever struck out more than Gallo did in Low-A and done anything in the majors: Russell Branyan, who struck out 38.7% of the time in 1995, then repeated the level in 1996 and set the aforementioned SAL record with 40 bombs.

So, Gallo combines monumental power with a very troubling inability to make contact. Today, I’m going to take a detailed look at what is going on to provide such extreme statistics and see how his skillset needs to evolve for him to attain major league success.

Read the rest of this entry »