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FILE - Washington Nationals first baseman Joey Gallo makes a catch during the first inning of a ... [+] baseball game against the Atlanta Braves, on Sept. 10, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/John McDonnell, File)
Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Joey Gallo has always been of baseball’s most unique players. Now he’s about to attempt something even more unusual. After 10 MLB seasons as a hitter, he’s becoming a pitcher. The former All-Star announced the move himself on social media along with a highlight reel of some of his best outfield assists.
Gallo has long been known for epitomizing the “three true outcomes” as a hitter—either walking, striking out, or hitting a home run in a higher percentage of his plate appearances than nearly anyone else in baseball history. He belted 208 home runs—and only 232 singles—in his career, but struck out 1,292 times in 3,403 trips to the plate. He failed to latch on with the Chicago White Sox in Spring Training after hitting .161/.277/.336 with the Washington Nationals last year.
Gallo is nearly as well known for his firehose arm as he is for his all-or-nothing approach to hitting. In 2020, his average arm strength on competitive throws was 94.9 mph, second in baseball to Brett Phillips. His arm strength was 93.9 mph in 2021, then 91.4 mph in 2022 before he moved to first base as his primary position in 2023 and 2024.
Phillips serves as a cautionary tale for how difficult this transition can be. He attempted to convert from the outfield to the mound last season, but only got into one game in Low-A, allowing two hits, two walks, and a hit-by-pitch without recording an out.
The only successful outfielder-to-pitcher conversion in recent history was Anthony Gose—unless you count Shohei Ohtani, who has always been a two-way player. Gose played the outfield for the Toronto Blue Jays and Detroit Tigers from 2012-2016, then became a left-handed reliever and worked his way back up through the minors, pausing along the way to win a silver medal with Team USA in the 2021 Summer Olympics. He resurfaced with the Cleveland Guardians later that summer made 31 pitching appearances for them from 2021-2024, posting a 4.78 ERA.
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