IBC

An interesting blog I found. "He's probably been peeing his giant pants for the last 24 hours..."



Joey Gallo has been promoted to the big leagues. This is gonna be a ton of fun. Of course I've heard the message this is a temporary assignment; Joey's a seat filler until Meryl Streep comes back from the restroom. Doesn't diminish my joy one bit and it shouldn't knock even the slightest dent in yours.

I figure I've seen Joey play about 60 games in person and never once have I been bored or ambivalent towards an at-bat. For that matter, I've never slept on him at 3B or 1B or LF or running around the pads either. He's one of those rare birds who radiates electricity and magnetic watchability. He'll be 0-4 in an 11-3 blowout, and you'll still wanna watch that 5th plate appearance in the last of the 8th. And if I had any advice for watching him during this hastily scheduled dress rehearsal, it's to just enjoy it.

Suffice it to say, there isn't a single person who's read this far who is expecting Joey to come in and light up the big leagues. He might still do it, but if you're honestly certain it's going to happen, I'd like to ask you a few quick questions about this Saturday's Belmont Stakes. Often, a minor leaguer is called up for an audition, of sorts. A polished guy who's paid his dues is inserted into the big parks to try and find a suitable place for him to contribute. This isn't one of those situations. This is more like an orientation. "Here's your schedule, there's your locker over there, classes begin everyday at 2:30 and the tests are every night at 7:05". That's why I'm cool with the idea. Obviously, Joey's not quite ready to battle it out everyday against the laser-sighted accuracy of big league starters and the double-dosage of nasty plus pitches served up by most MLB relievers. At least we don't think he is. Maybe he is, ever thought about it? Anyway, that's why this isn't as drastic a call-up as one might initially think. It's an orientation, not an audition.

The final concern I can allay is any lingering anxiety about what this might do to Joey's psyche. The big leagues have chewed up and spit out even some of the most mentally tough kids, but I'd be more than shocked if Joey was someday amongst them. I've watched (read: 'stalked') him from pre-game BP to signing autographs on the way to his car after a heavy defeat, and I just don't see anything that happens during this orientation getting the best of him. Not mentally, not physically, not emotionally. Joey's a bright kid and although he's probably been peeing his giant pants for the last 24 hours or so, he'll be ready to handle whatever happens to him on the field.

So my advice? Just enjoy this. I'll give us, all of us, the same advice they probably gave him, "Just enjoy this because whatever happens in the next couple of weeks is not going to change what we think about Joey Gallo." He's probably gonna be a bit tight for the first few games. He wants to be a big leaguer real, real, reallll bad. And he might press a bit. Will he swing and miss? Will he rush a throw to 1B? You betcha. But I'll still be watching. You'll be watching. Everyone will be watching. We watch baseball, not because we've already seen it, but because we haven't seen it yet. Up until now, no one's seen what happens when a big league pitcher, in a big league stadium, leaves a ball low and over the plate in a 2-0 count against Joey Gallo. That's gonna happen, and when it does, you'll wanna say you saw it.

Congrats to the development team, and Todd Guggiana, the scout who popped him with the 39th overall pick in 2012. Congrats to Jason Giambi and Frisco hitting coach Jason Hart and hitting wizard Josue Perez and Hickory manager Corey Ragsdale. Congrats to Joey's first hitting coach, Mike Bryant, whose son Kris is no slouch himself. Congrats to Joe Mikulik, who once benched Joey last year for not breaking up a double-play. (That was the right thing to do. Joe is the shit) Congrats to everyone who had a hand in molding an obscenely talented young lump of clay into a baseball player ready for even a temporary closeup. That doesn't make sense, so it means I should stop now.

Enjoy Joey, everyone! Even the kid's swings and misses are more exciting than most players' doubles.

Whether he works out or not my biggest regret in this league is that I wasn't able to get Gallo

I'm sure for the right price Danny would be willing to send him to you.

Orioles wrote:I'm sure for the right price Danny would be willing to send him to you.

Nope..

I bet you Brantley and Kluber get it done.

Giants wrote:Whether he works out or not my biggest regret in this league is that I wasn't able to get Gallo

Bigger than sending me Giancarlo "Don't Call me Mike" Stanton?

Giants wrote:Whether he works out or not my biggest regret in this league is that I wasn't able to get Gallo

If he doesn't work out, you'll have nothing to regret! You'll be glad you didn't get a guy who didn't work out.

Orioles wrote:I bet you Brantley and Kluber get it done.

Done!!

Well...that was fun.


Gallo can do no wrong in major league debut
By Jean-Jacques Taylor
ESPNDallas.com

ARLINGTON, Texas -- When Joey Gallo struck out in the sixth inning with the bases loaded, the Texas Rangers' fans cheered loudly. Some of them even stood.

Unbelievable.

It was that kind of night for the most hyped and top-rated prospect in the Rangers' organization. Somehow, Gallo lived up to it.

In his major league debut, Gallo finished with three hits, including a home run, four RBIs and four runs scored.

Texas 15, Chicago 2.

"It was crazy. I didn't expect it to be that kind of night," Gallo said. "It's pretty amazing. It still hasn't really hit me yet. It was a lot of adrenaline. I'm just glad it's out of the way.

"The first at-bat, I just wanted to put the ball in play. After I got the first hit out of the way, I was able to relax and play. It was just like another game."

Gallo's parents -- his dad wore a dark blue and red minor league All-Star jersey, and his mom rocked a white Rangers jersey -- sat two rows from the field, about five feet from the Rangers' on-deck circle and a million miles away from the youth fields where Gallo first learned to play. During his son's first at-bat, Gallo's dad leaned forward and stared intently at the first pitch, a ball way inside. Gallo took a big swing and missed Jeff Samardzija's second pitch.

He ripped the third pitch toward first base, where it took a wicked hop and eluded first baseman Adam LaRoche. As the ball skidded into right field, Gallo's dad jumped up and celebrated with both arms raised. His mom clapped furiously.

While Prince Fielder and Mitch Moreland scored the game's first runs, Gallo's parents received high-fives from folks sitting around them. A ball boy collected the souvenir ball as the crowd roared its approval.

In the third inning, Gallo showed the 27,558 in the stadium why he's such a big-time prospect.

He crushed a fastball 430 feet into the upper deck in right field -- the same place he had earlier deposited a couple of batting-practice fastballs on consecutive swings -- giving him four RBIs after two at-bats.

As he entered the dugout, the crowd continued cheering. Finally, Fielder motioned for the 21-year-old rookie to take a curtain call. Then Fielder gave him a big hug.

At that point, Gallo was trending on Twitter.

"You never know when it's going to happen again," Fielder said. "It was the first time he did something great like that. I wanted to make sure he enjoyed it."

Gallo nearly had a second homer in the fifth inning as the ball soared into the night. The Rangers' home run music blared from the speakers for a few seconds until someone figured out the ball wasn't going to wind up in the stands.

It hit the base of the wall in right-center field. A headfirst dive allowed Gallo to earn a double.

"The music kind of threw me off because I started jogging," Gallo said. "Then I said, 'Uh oh, I better get to second.' "

The hits were nice, but it was the eighth-inning walk after falling behind in the count 1-2 that made manager Jeff Banister smile.

Gallo fouled off consecutive 3-2 sliders before walking on the only fastball of the at-bat.

"I didn't know what else he could do," Banister said, "but the walk was pretty impressive. It came after a strikeout, but he stayed patient and controlled the strike zone."

Before we get all carried away, let's remember Jurickson Profar, once considered the baseball's top prospect, homered in his first major league at-bat in 2012. Well, he has missed the last two seasons because of shoulder problems. Gallo wore Profar's No. 13 against the White Sox.

Gallo will experience difficult times as scouts and pitchers in the American League determine his strengths and weaknesses. That's to be expected, especially for a player making the jump from Double-A -- at least until third baseman Adrian Beltre returns in a few weeks.

After his debut, expectations from fans will be ridiculously high because of the hype that accompanied Gallo, combined with his performance Tuesday night. The Rangers will do their best to keep the youngster from feeling pressure.

That's the primary reason Elvis Andrus hit fifth in the lineup Tuesday, with Gallo following. Banister doesn't want to send any subliminal messages.

"It was an incredible evening for the young man. Rarely do they come up and meet all the expectations their first night," Banister said. "All you had to do was listen to the crowd about his third time up and they let you know how he was doing.

"That was incredible. I can't describe really and truly how I feel getting to sit and watch it. It was really impressive night for a young man with a lot of hype that got here well before he did."

It's why the fans applauded the only out Gallo made

Better hurry Jake before you have to include Cespedes to get him!