12:51pm: Gallo in the aftermath of his release that he plans to convert to pitching going forward. The news shines additional light on Chicagos decision to release Gallo, who can now search for a fresh minor league deal with a team interested in seeing what he can do on the mound. While Gallo has no profe sional experience on the mound, he did pitch in high school (even throwing a no-hitter) and has long had among the most impre sive throwing arms in the game among position players, which was key to him earning two Gold Gloves in right field. 11:40am: The White Sox have granted his unconditional release, as relayed by . Gallo had been in camp with the club on a but will now head back into free agency to try and land a job with another club before Opening Day. Gallo, 31, is coming off a difficult season with the Nationals where he hit just .161/.277/.336 (76 wRC+) in 260 trips to the plate. Its the latest chapter in whats been a very up-and-down career for the slugger, who was a first-round pick by the Rangers in 2012 and was a two-time All-Star acro s his seven years in Dallas, in 2019 and 2021. In that three season stretch, Gallo hit .209/.351/.477 with a wRC Triston Mckenzie Jersey + of 121. He crushed 70 home runs in just 280 games over those three years, but also struck out at a ma sive 35.6% clip. That combination of nearly unmatched power and deep strikeout woes has contributed to a roller-coaster career where Gallo has been at times among the most impactful hitters in the sport and at times well below average. All of that has averaged out to a relatively middling .194/.319/.456 (107 wRC+) line acro s ten seasons in the majors, and while thats still decent production overall Gallo hasnt quite lived up to even that line in recent years. Despite a decent 103 wRC+ with the Twins in 2023, Gallos overall slash line over the past three years is just .166/.286/.379 with a well-below average wRC+ of 88. Hes struck out more than 40% of the time during that stretch, and his most productive season in Minnesota actually saw him punch out in a ma sive 42.8% of his trips to the plate. Earlier in his career, Gallo helped to make up for his uneven offensive production with strong outfield defense. A two-time Gold Glove award winner in right field during his days with the Rangers who could even be counted on in center if nece sary, Gallos fallen from grace defensively and now fits best as a roughly average defensive first baseman. Unfortunately, Gallos more limited defensive profile in recent years makes him a more difficult fit for a contending club in a bench role, while his offensive peaks and valleys make him difficult to bet on as a full-time starter. Those concerns all culminated in the White Sox deciding to part ways with the slugger. While getting released by a club that lost the most games in MLB history last year is an ominous sign, its worth pointing out that Chicago actually has a relatively deep group of potential options at first base and in the outfield. and figure to be everyday players at first base and in center field, while and figure to capture the lions share of the playing time in the outfield corners. Tauchman, Benintendi, and Gallo are all left-handed bats, so Gallos best opportunity for playing time in Chicago wouldve likely been spelling Vaughn at first base with and both better suited for outfield roles. While Benintendi is out due to a hand fracture at the moment, he has yet to be explicitly ruled out for Opening Day and may be able to return fairly early in the season, making carrying a player like Gallo as a fill-in option le s sensible. Even so, however, it could be difficult for Gallo to find a major league gig with le s than two weeks until the season begins. As much as injuries have opened up holes in various clubs lineups and rotations throughout the spring, there arent many obvious vacancies at first base around the league at the moment. Perhaps a club like the Padres, Pirates, or Marlins could use some additional depth at the position, but even those clubs have internal options they appear to be mostly comfortable with headed into Opening Day. With that said, teams certainly value depth and its not hard to imagine Gallo catching on with another club who has a le s crowded first base and outfield mix on a fresh minor league deal, even if it doesnt come with an immediate path to big league playing time. Dean Chance Jersey
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