The long, sad saga of Joey Gallo reaches an interesting twist. Unable to catch on with the White Sox—the most miserable team in the history of Major League Baseball—Gallo has decided he is going to give it a shot as a pitcher.

Makes sense. He hits like a pitcher. And he has more career strikeouts than most pitchers.

But, it’s a sad ending to what had at one time been a promising power hitting career. Gallo was the textbook example of the three-outcome hitter: home run or walk or strikeout. He’s also the textbook example of the player who overplayed his hand. Or, maybe more aptly, an agent who did.

In 2021, the Rangers made Gallo a five-year offer worth $84 million, with incentives that could take it over $100 million. Rumors were, Boras was expecting the Rangers to come with an offer in the Bryce Harper range, which was over $300 million, although Boras said that was not the case. 

What was the case, though, was that Boras and Gallo turned down the Rangers’ offer, not submitting a counter offer. One week later, Gallo was dealt to the Yankees in what has to be one of the most lopsided trades in Rangers’ history. Lopsided in their favor, for once. For Joey Gallo and relief pitcher Joely Rodriguez, the Rangers received Josh Smith, Ezequiel Duran, Trevor Hauver, and Glenn Otto.

Smith and Duran have had huge impacts with the Rangers. Trevor Hauver turned heads earlier this spring with his hitting. Glenn Otto is the only player who is no longer in the Rangers system, having put up ERAs of 9.26, 4.64, and 10.13 before being released in 2023. 

Gallo, for his part, progressively worsened on every team landed. He quicky wore out his welcome in New York. He hit .160 with a tiny .303 on-base and anemic .707 OPS with the Yankees in 2021, and seemed overmatching in 2022 with the Yankees, putting up a slash line of .159/.282/.621 before New York shipped him off to the Dodgers, where he struggled just as badly: .162/.277/.671. For both teams, he hit the occasional home run, but that wasn’t enough.

He caught on with the Twins in 2023, having a slight uptick at .177/.301/.741. Even though he hit 21 home runs, he drove in only 40.

Last year, the Washington Nationals took a chance on him. All he could muster was 10 home runs, 27 RBIs, and .161/.277/.613.

He signed with the White Sox toward the beginning of spring training and, in the height of ignominy, was released yesterday by the team that lost 121 games last year and seems to have less talent this year than last. 

Gallo gambled on himself. And lost. 

Now he’s gambling he can come back as a pitcher. Good luck, Joey. 

*****

NO GAME TODAY.