Commence the teasing. In other words, Joey Gallo is at it again.
The Rangers’ power-hitting prospect wowed fans in Arizona on Sunday with a home-run blast that cleared the fence and bounded into the parking lot, eventually smacking into an innocent car. It was his second homer in his last eight at-bats of the spring, and a reminder of his awesome power at the plate.
But we’ve seen that before, right? Last year Gallo was called up from the minors and immediately blasted tape-measure homers before the pitchers quickly caught up and he started striking out about every other plate appearance.
“I’m switching up my approach and trying to be more patient than I was last year,” said Gallo, who struck out 57 times in 108 at-bats in 2015. “I’m being what we call ‘patiently aggressive,’ looking for a pitch in a spot and when I get it I can’t miss it.”
No doubt Gallo has the power to make it in the majors. He’s hit 111 homers over the last three seasons and added a 400-feet blast off Matt Garza over the weekend.
The consistency is also improving. In his last 20 at-bats in Arizona he’s reached base nine times, only striking out twice.
Teasing, indeed.
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A native Texan who was born in Duncanville and graduated from UT-Arlington, Richie Whitt has been a mainstay in the Metroplex media since 1986. He’s held prominent roles on all media platforms including newspaper (Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Dallas Observer), radio (105.3 The Fan) and TV (co-host on TXA 21 and numerous guest appearances, including NBC 5). He lives in McKinney with his wife, Sybil, and two very spoiled dogs.
