Joey Gallo #95 – 2013 Top 100
#95 Joey Gallo (Corner Infielder[L/R])
Texas Rangers
| Age | PA | H | 2B | HR | BB | SO | SB | AVG | OBP | SLG | wOBA |
| 17 | 260 | 56 | 12 | 22 | 48 | 78 | 5 | .272 | .412 | .660 | .458 |
Date of Birth: November 19th, 1993 (Age 19)
Origin: 1st Round Pick(#39 overall) in 2012 out of Bishop Gorman HS (NV)
Height: 6′ 5″
Weight: 205
Other Links:
- Scouting A Dynamic Duo, Joey Gallo and Ronald Guzman (Mitch Colahan)
- 2012 Shadow Mock Draft (Bullpen Banter)
- 1st Day MLB Draft Reactions (Bullpen Banter)
Steve Fiorindo: I had the opportunity to see Joey Gallo at the Area Code Games and the Perfect Game All American Classic at Petco, and he was probably the guy that put the biggest smile on my face. That’s because I’m a sucker for a lefty bat, and Gallo could put a jolt into the ball like very few high school kids can do, and like any should frankly be able to do. Gallo’s calling card is his power, with scouts putting 7’s or 8’s on the raw power, and more than a few think he’ll be able to reach that potential.
I think there are two questions with Gallo: where will he play, and will he be able to make enough contact? He didn’t look like a third basemen to me in high school, but he will be given every chance to prove myself and others wrong. The bat should be able to play at first if he moves; we saw the power in action this year as he smashed 22 home runs in just 59 games. The concern, though, is his swing and miss, with 78 strikeouts in just 260 plate appearances. There’s certainly reason to hope that he can clean up his swing and close some holes, but we’ll have to see whether or not he’ll actually be able to do it before raising our hopes too much.
Evan Rentschler: Gallo is a player that is unlikely to show up on too many other Top 100 lists due to some clear flaws — it’s worth noting that he barely made the Rangers Top 10 for Baseball America — but his ceiling is too much to ignore, and ceiling is what makes prospects valuable.
Those flaws are worrisome though, chief among them a propensity to swing through pitches in the zone, a la Drew Stubbs or Mark Reynolds. There was some expansion of the strike zone as well, but Gallo has always shown reasonable pitch recognition, and backed that up with walk rates of 19.2% and 16.4% in his two stops; in fact, his Spokane triple slash of .214/.343/.464 may have seemed uncomfortably close to the aforementioned Reynolds’ Walk-Whiff-Bomb m.o. The other issue regarded defensive errors, where his strong arm couldn’t save him from some positioning and footwork gaffes.
That said, there is some sentiment that Gallo is athletic enough to work out the kinks on defense, and the ability to work a count should help him continue to access his power as he advances, even if an optimistic projection of his contact ability has him as a .240-.250 hitter. The chance for a 3B who puts up offensive numbers like early-period Mark McGwire or every-period Adam Dunn makes Gallo outweighs the downside for us
Mike Schwartze: I was really hoping I’d get to catch Gallo in his short stint in the northwest league last year and see his elite power on display, but he never came close enough for me to be able to. His power will be his ticket to the majors, regardless of where he ends up in the field. He could wind up at third base long term, but he’ll have to make significant strides there defensively. He does have a plus arm and good athleticism, so there is some hope he can make the necessary adjustments to stick there at the major league level. I think he has a good shot to be a major leaguer based on his power alone but like the others mentioned above, the type of player he develops into will be largely based on whether he improves his contact at the plate.
Fantasy Outlook by Stephen Kuperman:
Gallo already has present raw power capable of playing at any level of competition, but the rest of his game is probably going take some serious time to develop. His pure contact ability leaves a lot to be desired at this point, although the possibility of rapid improvement in this area now that he’s focusing entirely on hitting cannot be discounted. His defense at third base will likely necessitate a conservative approach, but he has the arm and athletic ability to make him at least a solid corner outfielder if the glove falters or his bat demands a more aggressive promotion schedule.
He’s a boom-or-bust prospect whose distance from the majors, defensive questions, and high risk make him more of a close follow in shallower keeper leagues. In deeper leagues with a more diversified keeper roster, his potential for elite power numbers means he should be drafted more aggressively. He’s a better buy if your roster is in a good position to assume the risk he carries, and makes for a good second or third banana in a fantasy minors system.
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