If seeing Spring Training 'news', it is up to us to judge the validity of the supposed 'news'.
For instance, if any player is sent down to the minors, for Main Event purposes, we have to judge when that player will arrive at the Major League level.
Or, if a player plays well during Spring Training, we have to judge if that player is having a small sample surge or has the means to carry out that hot hitting or pitching over a full season.
Or, there are the 'gained weight', 'lost weight', 'best shape', 'reworked swing', reworked mechanics', not to mention the dreaded injury updates.
The one I'll talk about today comes under the heading of reworked swing, I guess, even though it is really just reworking the mind.
Here is the blurb....
'Joey Gallo has swung at a pitch outside the zone 17 percent of the time before getting to two strikes, an improvement on the 30-percent rate he had in 2018, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports.
It's obviously a small sample size, but it looks like Gallo is committed to addressing a big weakness in his game. The slugger batted a meager .087 when the count got to two strikes in 2018, so the motivation is to avoid putting himself in that position by chasing balls outside the zone. "I told him today, that if he keeps that up, he's going to be an MVP candidate," manager Chris Woodward said. "Do that, everything else will take care of itself." Gallo is hitting .241 this spring with no home runs and 14 strikeouts in 29 at-bats.'
Ugh.
Yeah, striking out half the time with no power screams MVP.
MVP candidate, my ass.
Gallo is a dead pull hitter. Dead pull hitter's that bat left handed are most effected by shifts. Gallo struck out before working on not chasing pitches and he'll strike out afterwards.
Gallo's batting average will not change.
Gallo is a Slug.
A Slug is a batter who swings with full force hoping he hits the ball with maximum velocity.
Slug's miss the ball....a lot.
For fantasy baseball, Slug's have their place. If we can shore up the batting average side of our teams, Slug's can provide the power.
Gallo is a prototypical Slug.
He has finished in the top five in home runs the last two years.
He has finished in the top five of striking out the last two years.
With Slug's, home runs and strike outs walk hand in hand.
As far as batting average, Slug's have a low batting average.
Especially with two strikes.
While batters like Joey Votto give in with two strikes and make a game of exchanging power for contact, Slug's swing just as hard with two strikes as no strikes.
If not thinking that is true, here is a nugget for you.
The last time Joey Votto hit a home run on an 0-2 pitch was 2011. 2011!
Eight years have passed since Votto hit a home run on an 0-2 count.
It was his only rbi with an 0-2 count that year.
And you know what?
As far as I know, Gallo has never hit a homer on an 0-2 count. Never.
And get this, Gallo was 0-55 on 0-2 pitches last year.
Truly amazing he hit over .200 when taking that into account.
Most batters are screwed when getting 0-2.
At the same time, avoidance of getting there, is not the answer for a Slug.
Gallo has hit 60% of his home runs on the first or second pitch of his at bats.
Stripping him of his aggressiveness on those pitches is cutting the hair of Samson.
"Do that, everything else will take care of itself.".....
Woodward must be an idiot.
Quite frankly, you don't fuck with Slug's.
Pardon the language but I feel so strongly in this.
Gallo has his purpose. Not chasing pitches as his preeminent concern is stupid.
Keep it simple stupid.
Gallo is hitting .241 woo freakin' hoo.
He has ZERO home runs!
Zero this Spring.
His Manager is clearly burying the lead and dazzling with MVP minutiae.
Gallo should run into home runs with the force of his swing.
Instead, his Manager is trying to make a Picasso out of spray paint.
Khris Davis hits home runs and strikes out a lot.
That is acceptable to the A's.
He hits .129 with two strikes.
The A's don't care.
They know he is a Slug.
The Rangers have to realize the same is true of Gallo.