The newest member of the Minnesota Twins is Joey Gallo, according to a report from ESPN’s Jeff Passan, who says the two sides have agreed to a one-year deal. Mark Feinsand of MLB.com says the Twins will pay Gallo $11 million.
Gallo has as much power in his bat as anyone in baseball, but making contact has been an issue. The 29-year-old hit for a .160 average last season with the Yankees and Dodgers and he struck out in 39.7% of his plate appearances.
Outfielder Joey Gallo and the Minnesota Twins are in agreement on a one-year contract, sources familiar with the deal tell ESPN.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 16, 2022
Gallo was terrible last season. No denying it. He hit .160/.280/.357 with 19 homers and 47 RBI. His 19 homers accounted for 33.3% of his 57 hits in 410 plate appearances. He started the season with the Yankees before being traded to the Dodgers.
- Gallo with Yankees: .159/.282/.339 with 12 homers, 24 RBI
- Gallo with Dodgers: .162/.277/.393 with 7 homers, 23 RBI
In 2021, Gallo his just .199 but boasted an .808 OPS thanks to 38 homers and an MLB-leading 111 walks. He also led the majors with 213 strikeouts.
When he’s at his best he’s usually hitting around .200 but hitting 30-40 homers and playing good defense. Gallo has two Gold Gloves as an outfielder in his career, both with the Texas Rangers in the COVID-shortened 2020 season and again in 2021.
Miguel Sanó has the second-highest career strikeout rate in MLB history at 36.4 percent.
And the only player with a higher career strikeout rate — at 37.3 percent — is Joey Gallo.
(Gallo is a good defensive corner outfielder, making him a better all-around player. But still.)
— Aaron Gleeman (@AaronGleeman) December 16, 2022
