I was wrong about Joey Gallo.
I was wrong when, after watching him flail helplessly at major league pitching time after time after time after time last season, the two seasons before, and every spring training, I declared he would never figure it out.
I was wrong about Joey Gallo.
I was wrong when I doubted he would ever be a productive major league baseball player.
I was wrong about Joey Gallo.
I was wrong when, after seeing him strike out 63 percent of the time, I said he would be a washout.
Joey Gallo may never hit for average. He may never have much of an on-base percentage. But, then again, maybe he can.
He’s only 23. Look at the guy who is the talk of baseball this year, the guy who will be rookie of the year, MVP, the first player every inducted into the Hall of Fame while he is still playing, Aaron Judge.
Judge struck out 42 percent of the time last season and hit just .172 in 27 games with the Yankees. He wasn’t even part of their plans this season. Yet, somehow, it clicked. He figured out how to make contact. He figured out how to be feared instead of just tolerated. There is still hope Gallo can. Gallo is two years younger than Judge.
The Rangers need to find that hitting coach that helped turn around Judge and get Gallo in front of him.
I was wrong about Joey Gallo.
Granted, I was right about Tanner Scheppers and Leonys Martin and Kyle Lohse and Carlos Pena and Kyle Blanks and JP Arencibia and Chi Chi Gonzalez and Joe Saunders and Martin Perez.
But I was wrong about Joey Gallo.
For that, I would like to publically apologize to him.
I was wrong about you, Joey Gallo. Thanks for making me look so foolish.
*****
TODAY’S GAME:
A.J. Griffin (4-2, 5.77) vs. Adalberto Mejia (4-4, 4.07)
Game time: 7:10
The Rangers have never faced Mejia.
How the Twins hit against Griffin.