Joey Gallo’s Last Stand

[Cody Christie]

Joey Gallo is in the middle of his second straight season where he is underperforming. Minnesota has yet to move on from him, and now he might be down to his last opportunity.

Image courtesy of Matt Blewett-USA TODAY Sports

The Twins brought in Joey Gallo because he was available on a one-year deal and had some bounce-back potential. Minnesota also wanted to add depth at first base, and bench coach Jayce Tingler previously worked with Gallo and knew he could handle the position. Plenty of other left-handed hitters were on the Twins’ roster, but the front office felt like Gallo was a prime candidate to return to his previous form. 

Gallo’s early season performance pointed to him being back on track. During the season’s first month, he hit .236/.354/.709 (1.063) with three doubles, one triple, and seven home runs. His 22 strikeouts in 65 plate appearances were high, but he was hitting for plenty of power. The Twins were happy to take the good with the bad. Unfortunately, he’s been unable to sustain this early-season success while morphing into one of the league’s worst hitters. 

Since the calendar turned to May, Gallo has hit .161/.271/.361 (.632) with six doubles and 10 home runs in 65 games. He has struck out in 94 of his 180 at-bats during that stretch while being worth -1.08 WPA. His average exit velocity, hard hit %, and barrel % all rank in the 96th percentile or higher, with his BB% also being in the 90th percentile. The Twins would have gladly signed up for those numbers when agreeing to a deal with Gallo. 

Conversely, his contact has been few and far between, leading to terrible overall numbers. His xBA, K%, and Whiff% all rank in the 1st percentile. His xBA is 28 points lower than the next closest batter. Gallo has baseball’s worst Whiff%, and he’s among three players with a Whiff% higher than 40% (Jose Siri and Brent Rooker). There have been stretches where he bunched home runs in a week, but there have been long periods where he has been lost at the plate. Minnesota continues to use Gallo regularly, and he might get one final chance to prove he can provide value to the Twins. 

Gallo began the year as the Twins’ primary first baseman while. Alex Kirilloff was ramping up from off-season wrist surgery. At the end of July, the Twins placed Kirilloff on the 10-day injured list because of a right shoulder strain. It is incredibly disappointing since he was one of the team’s best offensive players last month. Minnesota also had an MRI earlier this week because his shoulder hadn’t improved as expected. The Twins might have wanted to part ways with Gallo, but now he will likely need to serve as the team’s primary first baseman during the season’s most critical games. 

Other power hitters have followed a similar path to Gallo, especially as baseball has evolved recently. Strikeout numbers continue to rise in the search for more power. Twins fans saw this with Miguel Sano near the end of his Twins tenure. Unfortunately, this all-or-nothing approach can decrease performance if the player isn’t drawing walks or making consistent contact. Gallo has likely been trying to adjust, but the results have failed to improve. 

After consecutive poor seasons, no team will give Gallo a long-term deal entering the 2024 season. He was likely hoping for a bounce-back year to secure a long-term deal. That contract is likely never going to happen for the 29-year-old. Even with a strong finish, he will likely need to sign a minor-league deal to prove he can be a big-league contributor. 

Can Gallo be a serviceable replacement for Kirilloff during the season’s final months? Leave a COMMENT and join the discussion. 

 

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[karcherd]

They have filled 1B on the fly before, Arraez last year is an example.  They played Farmer there in the late innings the other night.  Move Julien or Polanco there until Kiriloff is back.  There is no excuse to continue keeping Gallo on the roster another day especially for a contending team.

[Karbo]

There has got to be a serviceable replacement in the minors. But this management team can't see the trees through the forest. A veteran presence can't be an advantage when said veteran is so bad. When Lewis gets back they should DFA Gallo and move Polo to 1st IMO.

[Hawkeye Bean Counter]

Right now if Gallo can give us just good defense at first it should be enough with our pitching depth and our other bats heating up.  However,  as a bat,  Gallo is currently a black hole.  I am all for letting him go, and even replacing now with one of the rookies,  put Gallo on the injured list and give us 10 days to try it out.   

[nicksaviking]

I'm really not trying to rip the front office, but with Sano getting no interest and the all-or-nothing approach at the plate fading a bit in popularity league-wide, I had assumed Gallo would be a target for a MiLB deal with a spring training invite this PAST off season.

[dberthia]

I can't believe we're still discussing this guy in August. He should've been DFA'd months ago. Where's the accountability? It's not fair to the team to have him in the lineup.

[strumdatjag]

The Twins also have Solano as an option at 1B (along with Julien or Polanco).   Joey’s gotta go.  

[LewFordLives]

Can Julien play first?  That way Polanco can move back to second once Lewis is back.

Joey Gallo has a had a decent career. He has achieved things that most of us can only dream about, but it is seriously in the best interest of the Twins to move on. He has become a black hole in the lineup. I mean c'mon.....

[blindeke]

Can't Larnach or Wallner play first?

[Patzky]

15 minutes ago, LewFordLives said:

Can Julien play first?  That way Polanco can move back to second once Lewis is back.

Joey Gallo has a had a decent career. He has achieved things that most of us can only dream about, but it is seriously in the best interest of the Twins to move on. He has become a black hole in the lineup. I mean c'mon.....

Aww he just needs a little 🐢 Turtle Wax for his bats.

[insagt1]

concerns...Polanco has not provided the offense he needs to provide during this oft-injured season. this is very disappointing because hitting is his 'strength' for this team. Kirilloff's injury may be more serious than anyone has hoped...he may not be able to perform to his maximum the rest of this season. Very disappointing. Buxton is always hurt. And he is never fully able to play for long stretches, be it DH or CF. How much he can contribute going forward is anyone's guess. But what has become clear is the poor guys body is constantly betraying him at every corner. It isn't just one area, its everywhere. This is a major disappointment.

So, Gallo. Everyone is trying SO hard to prop up his 'd' to justify keeping him around. When you hit .170; when you are whiffing more than once every 2 AB's; and when the HR's have pretty much disappeared, isn't there anyone, anywhere that can offer more?? Seriously, his last 2 months have been an embarrassment. Its unlikely to improve. If Twins were the Royals or the A's, yeah keep experimenting. But they are actually trying to win a playoff GAME for the first time since WWI. Please move on from him.

[nicksaviking]

1 hour ago, blindeke said:

Can't Larnach or Wallner play first?

Kepler can. Chris Williams does. They've put Anthony Prato at 1B before. Heck, even Kyle Garlick has been playing 1B lately. 

[CRF]

He should've been DFA'd already. He has to go as soon as AK gets back...if not sooner. We have other options at 1st. 

[twins_89]

Joey Gallo's wRC+ by month:

Mar/Apr 183, May 86, Jun 81, Jul 55, Aug 4

I think Gallo's last stand already happened in July. He hasn't been good in over 3 months and his production has been trending the wrong direction the whole time. At this point, there is no credible reason for Gallo to still be on the roster.

[DocBauer]

So why exactly must he be playing 1B for the Twins? I mean, I think he's quite good there defensively, but he has to be on the team and play 1B because he's a veteran and he bats from the left side?

But he's one of the worst "hitters" in all of MLB except for the rare time he gets his bat barreled up on a ball. So why not just about ANYONE else to play 1B that might provide some offense? Who cares if it's another RH bat? Move Polanco or Julien there. (Julien's played it before and should have continued working there). What about Williams at St Paul? 

It's beyond time.

[Kenny Powers]

Good read.  I think signing Gallo "might" have been an ok decision at the time.  He was a career .780 OPS guy with decent defense in OF and 1st.  With Buxton and Kirilloff both hobbled, it gave us another guy.  As noted in the article, it initially looked like a good decision when he started hot. 

But now....yeah, I'll join the "grab your torch and pitch fork"" crowd.  He's not getting better.  We certainly should be able to upgrade him (addition by subtraction).

The sad part is that his OPS is almost 50 points higher than Correa and only 10 points lower than Buxton.  (Insert crying face).

[Blyleven2011]

Yes this is Gallo's last stand for a major league contract .... ( see sano )

Gallo will be lucky to get a minor league offer next off season and maybe just maybe Japan would likely pass on him to , ( see Sano)  ...

I'm sure Gallo's salary was higher in 2022 with Yankees and dodgers  than the 11 million we signed him for ...

Twins have always seemed to over pay for reclamation projects with mlb deals ,   when a minor league contract would have gotten it done ...,

Robles  also comes to mind and there have been others in recent past with this FO  ....

[Jocko87]

2 hours ago, nicksaviking said:

I'm really not trying to rip the front office, but with Sano getting no interest and the all-or-nothing approach at the plate fading a bit in popularity league-wide, I had assumed Gallo would be a target for a MiLB deal with a spring training invite this PAST off season.

The three true outcome era of baseball will rank right up there with some of the darkest eras of the sport.  Give it time.

I think Gallo getting the deal is partially a favor to Boras.  They are giving him all the runway they can as part of that.  I can see why they took the chance as at least he could provide defensive flexibility and functionality, unlike a Sano.  Being able to move him around the field has been very valuable even if the bat hasn't worked out. 

That runway is running out fast though, and they can certainly say they gave it every chance to work.  With something like 7 guys all hopefully back soon and probably ahead on the depth chart its going to get dark early.   There won't be room in September either, knock on wood. 

I'm not ready to call a last stand for his career though.  I think he gets one more chance outside the Twins organization, probably a MILB deal.  I would want to see what he can do in a place with a different hitting philosophy.  Too many struggling hitters here and it pains me to say it but if I'm a MLB GM I'm scouting former Twins hitters hard for value. 

[nicksaviking]

The number or players this organization continues to employ, who can't get a MLB deal the following year is stunning. Sano, Bundy, Archer, Sanchez, Leon, Hamilton, Duffey, Cotton and Joe Smith were just last year alone. Seven of those nine players were guys they signed as free agents or traded for JUST THAT YEAR!

Either they have illogical expectations that aging vets will turn things around, or they are blind to the need of creating a roster that has a higher offensive ceiling. The continued reliance on these types of players, when the rest of the league is going with the younger, higher upside and cheaper internal players is exasperating. 

[Alex Schieferdecker]

Gallo won't get a major league contract after this. Unfortunately I doubt the Twins will DFA him, if only because the gains from that move are probably not significant. I expect we'll just see Gallo's playing time decline, and he'll be used more as a defensive sub.

[Heiny]

I have to admit, I was rooting for Gallo in the early part of the season and when he started hitting homers in May I even posted some I told you so comments.  But, that only lasted for a short time.  I thought he may turn it around as all players go through slumps.  But this doesn't feel like a slump.  This feels like a "He is what he is" situation.  And the team should have recognized this also.  He should be gone already and for Pete's sake even a triple A guy should be able to provide more offense than what he is giving.  Time to swallow hard and eat the remaining contract.  There are multiple ways to get at least a little offense from his roster spot.  Try something.  This is not working.  

[JD-TWINS]

He’s here for ongoing chemistry - another “insurance” guy. He’s solid at 1B (No, Polanco - Julien - Wallner - Larnach are not playing 1B) and is around in case somebody else in the core group goes down. He’s been terrible - nobody can support him!

FO wants him for continuity through the Lewis - Buxton - Kirilloff injuries……probably through August……..they may even IL Joey to buy time in August? They can then carry him as one of the extra 2 guys through September. He’s definitely done October 2, even though they will probably carry 14 position players in playoffs. Can’t have him taking up a roster spot at crunch time …….50 plus % strikeout guy is gone in playoffs.

[Vanimal46]

2 hours ago, dberthia said:

I can't believe we're still discussing this guy in August. He should've been DFA'd months ago. Where's the accountability? It's not fair to the team to have him in the lineup.

Exactly. Gallo was a reasonable gamble to hopefully bounce back to a 4 WAR ish player and either flip him for prospects or keep him for a playoff stretch. Neither of those things happened and he’s been mostly a disaster since his hot 2 week stretch in April. 

[Sjoski]

The Gallo $igning wa$ an 11 million dollar  "$wing and a Mi$$" ...even though it wa$ $trike three a long time ago, the FO keep$ believing pitcher$ will $top exploiting an upper cut approach that result$ in a K over 40% of the time.   

Number of $ = 11
 

[Woof Bronzer]

1 hour ago, nicksaviking said:

Either they have illogical expectations that aging vets will turn things around, or they are blind to the need of creating a roster that has a higher offensive ceiling. 

For a front office that is very vocal in its love of analytics, they have a weird habit of disregarding all statistics for certain players and just thinking the guy will magically turn it around once they breathe in the golden air of One Twins Way.  Another area where "the process" is flawed and inconsistent at best.  

[Althebum82]

Yeah, there could very well have been a gentleman's agreement with Boras where they need to keep playing Gallo and then Boras would extend a little courtesy back by asking Keuchel to not abandon the Twins at the earliest opt out date.  It would be a reasonable benefit for both parties, especially if Gallo had actually turned it around.

But, that time has now passed.  Chris Williams has earned at least a look.  And, Gallo is clearly in his way.

[Major League Ready]

Bring in Williams for 2-3 weeks while giving Garlick / Prato and/or Severino reps at 1B in AAA.  Give one of those guys a chance if Williams is not cutting it.  Garlick's been good the past couple months and the versatility would add value to Severino/Prato.  At least we don't have to watch Gallo whiff.

[Trov]

Gallo should have no spot on this roster.  Sure once in a very great while he hits a HR.  But overall he has negative value and there has to be someone out there that can at least do something of value.  The fact that he strikes out nearly half the time, and you cannot count on him doing anything when he does put the ball in play other than a possible HR. We have pinch hit for him in 1 run games with runner on 3rd and less than 2 outs because we know he is likely to strike out and almost never likely to hit a single.  

[RpR]

Some thing is very wrong with Gallo; strike  outs with a a fair number of foul balls, means he is hitting the ball but his are simple whiffs on pitches that are in the middle of the strike zone.

 

Hopefully Baldelli has taken him aside to see why .

[Schmoeman5]

26 minutes ago, RpR said:

Some thing is very wrong with Gallo; strike  outs with a a fair number of foul balls, means he is hitting the ball but his are simple whiffs on pitches that are in the middle of the strike zone.

 

Hopefully Baldelli has taken him aside to see why .

Give him the old pep talk angle. And his defense has won a handful of games at least. He's earned that chance. And he can still hit the high cheese