Former New York Yankees’ bust Joey Gallo is back on the free-agent market, but this time it may be in a completely different role.
The White Sox released the former Yankees outfielder and two-time All-Star on Sunday morning. After. Gallo posted a video on X.com,” It’s been fun outfield,” with a brief clip of him over the years throwing from the outfield and the final scene of him pitching, followed by a second post: “Just to be clear, I will be pitching.”
Whether he’s serious about transitioning to the mound or simply having some fun, Gallo has now joined the growing list of former position players flirting with a pitching career.
Just over a week ago, Tyler Naquin announced he was converting from the outfield to the mound, following the path of Anthony Gose, who successfully made the transition after his days as a big-league outfielder.
Former New York Yankees outfielder Joey Gallo.
© Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images
Gallo was an analytics darling at his peak as a position player, meaning he was the ultimate three-true-outcomes hitter who lived on home runs, walks, and strikeouts. In 10 MLB seasons, he hit just .194 but mashed 208 homers, drove in 453 runs, and walked at a high enough clip to post a 106 OPS+. He topped 40 home runs twice and hit 38 in another season, making him a valuable asset when his power was displayed.
But when he wasn’t hitting homers, the strikeouts piled up.
His time with the Yankees was especially brutal.
In 140 games over two seasons, he hit .159/.291/.194 with 25 homers and 194 strikeouts, becoming one of the most frustrating players in recent franchise history. Gallo became a lightning rod for fans’ frustrations.
