What can Joey Gallo provide the Minnesota Twins with this season?
The Minnesota Twins took a flyer on Joey Gallo this offseason, and many fans were confused by the move. After just a handful of games, the former All-Star is proving fans wrong and providing a boost, both offensively and defensively, but what can he provide this ball club over a full 162-game season?
Gallo was really good for the Texas Rangers; he provided great defense and power at the plate. However, he does strike out a lot but will also take plenty of walks.
In seven years with Texas, Gallo hit .211 with 145 home runs and 317 runs batted in (RBIs).
He was then traded to the New York Yankees but struggled heavily. After a year and a half with the organization, he was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers, where he also didn’t play well.
Minnesota and Texas are the two teams he’s looked the most comfortable with. Clearly, something doesn’t work with Gallo in big markets, and he addressed some of those disappointments in an interview last year. It’s early with the Twins, but his swing is different, and he looks more comfortable. Before getting traded to New York, Gallo was one of the best players in Major League Baseball.
If the Twins can unlock that same player, they’ll be getting a game-changing guy on a cheap deal. The question will eventually become; how much will he command in the offseason? That’s for another day, and the Twins are okay with that because he’d probably want to re-sign here if he has success.
Let’s do a best-case and worst-case scenario.
Best-case scenario:
Gallo turns back the clock and becomes the player we saw in a Rangers uniform. More than likely, he would have to hit close to .230, with 30-40 home runs.
In 10 games, he’s hit five home runs and is arguably responsible for two of the eleven wins.
He’s also won two Gold Gloves in years past, and we’ve seen a glimpse of that already at first base. His primary position is right field, but it speaks to his versatility that he can move over to first with Alex Kirilloff rehabbing.
Since 2019, Gallo ranks fifth (36) in baseball amongst outfielders in defensive runs saved. Byron Buxton is third, and Michael A. Taylor is sixth. With the current injuries on the Twins roster, Gallo has been asked to play first, and he’s done well there.
Worst-case scenario:
There’s really no worst-case scenario with Gallo because he’s on a one-year deal. Even if he struggles to hit, he’s still going to give you close to 20 home runs. He also hasn’t lost his defensive abilities, so essentially you’re getting a gold glove player with low offensive abilities (but still a ton of power).
And if he struggles, the Twins don’t need to re-sign him this offseason and can move in a different direction. There’s no real downside other than slotting in a defensive player in the bottom third of your batting order.
Hopefully, the Twins are getting the best-case scenario version of Gallo, and if they are, you’re talking about a guy who can change the trajectory of many games. I’d go as far as to say he could change the momentum or outcome of a playoff series by himself. Time will tell, but it’s been fun watching him crank home runs in a Twins uniform.
