MLB: 10 prospects ready to play in the big leagues
player. 95. . Third Base. Texas Rangers. Joey Gallo. 10
This one’s easy because the Texas Rangers showed they also feel that Joey Gallo is ready for The Show. With Adrian Beltre now on the disabled list with a sprained left thumb, the Rangers made the decision to promote their top prospect from Double-A Frisco prior to Tuesday’s game.
A consensus top ten prospect (he is ranked ninth on MLB.com’s Top 100 list and sixth by Baseball America), Gallo has huge power that should prove beneficial immediately in the Texas summer heat. He exploded onto the scene with three hits, including his first big league home run and four RBIs in Tuesday’s 15-2 rout over the White Sox.
A left-handed hitting 21-year old, Gallo hit 113 home runs in 330 Minor League games across his first four professional seasons. He mashed 22 long balls in just 59 games as an 18-year old in Rookie ball after being drafted 39th overall in 2012, then led all of Minor League Baseball with 40 dingers in 111 games in 2013.
Gallo crushed 42 homers and 106 RBI last season split almost evenly between Class-A Myrtle Beach (a pitcher-friendly spot in the Carolina League) and Frisco. The performance made Gallo the first Minor Leaguer with consecutive 40-homer seasons since 1981-82.
He also had nine Minor League homers in 34 games in 2015 – all of which came in his last 23 games.
It’s possible Gallo will only be in the big league lineup for about three weeks, which is the time Beltre is expected to miss. But even once Beltre returns to the ball club, the suddenly surging Rangers could find a role for Gallo as the team’s designated hitter, though an occasional start at first base or left field are options also. Gallo appeared in seven games at first in 2014 and played six in the outfield earlier this year.
Regardless of where he plays, he’ll hit. Simply put, Joey Gallo one of the top power-hitting prospects in Major League Baseball today.
Next: Kyle Schwarber