Joey Gallo has already drawn plenty of frustration from Yankee fans after opening weekend, even with some bad luck on hard-hit balls in play.
But many fans focus on the strikeouts, especially after he led the league in that department last season with 213. So far this season, he has fanned five times in 13 at-bats, but has drawn four walks as well. It all adds up to what Gallo has done for much of his career, which is play plus defense, get on base via the free pass, hit towering home runs, and strike out a ton.
“When I first got traded here I think they thought I was Babe Ruth, or something, I don’t know,” Gallo told Steve Serby of the New York Post. “I think last year they thought I was somebody that I’m not. I wasn’t gonna come over here and hit .300. I’m just a guy who plays defense, hits home runs, walks, but I’m not a high-average guy and I strike out a lot. That’s who I am.
“I’m not necessarily a loveable player because of the way my skillset is, but I always respect the game, I always play hard, I always give everything I have every time I’m out in the field no matter what the score is…I always take pride in that because I love the game of baseball. I think fans will start to see that over time.”
Gallo picked up two hits in Monday’s loss, including a line drive single to the opposite field for his first hit of the night. Between his multi-hit game and the hard-hit outs he recorded against the Red Sox, Aaron Boone isn’t worried about his outfield slugger.
“I’m seeing good at-bats,” Boone said. “I know that gets talked about a lot but I think he’s in a really good place.”
Gallo told The Post the same, emphasizing a focus on winning ballgames rather than winning over a fanbase that has been seemingly champing at the bit to voice their displeasure, even as Gallo has been barreling up the ball on multiple occasions in the early going, though they haven’t produced results just yet.
“I can’t really help what happens after I hit the ball,” Gallo told Serby. “Go hit the ball, swing at strikes and hopefully God is on my side most of the time. Sometimes you hit it right at somebody, but you’ve just got to keep swinging it.”
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