Reporter Yoon-Jun Ko = Joey Gallo, who transferred to the Minnesota Twins, recalled his days with the New York Yankees.
In an interview with ‘The Athletic’ on the 25th (Korean time), Gallo said, “All baseball players at some point think, ‘I don’t know if I want to do this anymore.’ He wasn’t good for the Yankees, he had a tough game.”
He was drafted by the Texas Rangers in 2012 and made his 2015 debut. Although his batting average is low, his high home run and on-base percentage, and good defense have established him as a starting outfielder. He has won two All-Stars and two Gold Glove Awards. He recorded a career batting average of 0.199, 177 home runs, 386 RBIs, and 400 runs, an OPS of 0.794.
And he was traded to the Yankees in 2021. Because he had good defense and power, he was expected to work well with the Yankees. However, this trade had not so good results.
His low batting average fell further, and the number of home runs plummeted along with his on-base percentage. (Yankees career batting average 0.159, 25 home runs, 46 RBI OPS 0.660) Angry Yankees fans criticized and booed Gallo, and his excellent defense fell to average.
At the time, teammate Isaiah Cainer-Faleppa said: “From a mental health standpoint, Gallo wasn’t happy. He couldn’t enjoy playing every day. One of the things he feared was having his name called every day.” 메이저사이트
Eventually, Gallo was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers midway through last season and left the Yankees in a dreary state. And he signed a one-year, $11 million contract ahead of this season and will wear a Minnesota uniform.
“I always wanted to play baseball and have fun,” Gallo said. That was my goal,” he said. “I think Minnesota suits me better. You know what I’m talking about,” he added.
This season, he’ll be Minnesota’s starting left fielder, forming the outfield alongside Byron Buxton and Max Kapler. Also, the shift tactic that plagued Gallo is banned all season. Attention is focusing on whether it will be possible to revive in a new team.