The Rangers obviously love Joey Gallo, and their fans feel the same way, with good reason.
The 21-year-old slugger is the club's top prospect and has shown his prodigious power not only in the minors but also in a brief call-up over the summer, including a smashing debut when he homered and hit a double off the top of the wall while driving in four runs and scoring three times.
On Wednesday, Gallo made his return to a big-league lineup and showed he has no business playing meaningful baseball for the Rangers.
Gallo struck out three times in his three at-bats before being pinch-hit for later in the game.
To make matters worse, his three strikeouts basically came on 10 pitches, and they were all the same pitch, with the exception of one breaking ball for a looking third strike — high heat. San Diego starter Ian Kennedy continued to fire in fastball up and in, and Gallo could do nothing with them. In fact, it was as if he knew exactly what was coming, but also knew he couldn't hit it. He just looked lost.
Gallo has a bright future with the Rangers, but this is the present and it's an important stretch of games that Gallo shouldn't be a part of. It's fine to have him in the dugout to experience a playoff race at a young age, but he shouldn't be on the field.
