Texas Rangers: 5 Sleeper Players To Watch In 2017

facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
5 of 5
Next
MLB: Minnesota Twins at Texas Rangers
MLB: Minnesota Twins at Texas Rangers /

Rangers fans have been waiting patiently for the former 1st round pick to explode into the Major Leagues. The Rangers selected Joey Gallo as the 39th pick in the 1st round of the 2012 Amateur Draft.

Gallo immediately climbed the top prospect lists with his explosion of power throughout the minor leagues. Gallo had back-to-back 40 homer seasons in 2012 and 2013 which made Rangers fans excited about the future.

In two stints with the MLB club Gallo has been a disappointment. In 2016 Gallo got just one hit in 17 games with the Rangers. Gallo received 30 plate appearances and could only manage one hit and it was conveniently a home run.

More from Nolan Writin'

The 23-year-old has not lived up to the hype, but could have a breakout performance in 2017. Gallo has not been given long stints in the Majors and that could be part of the problem. This upcoming season should be different with Gallo most likely grabbing the full-time DH role.

The Rangers want Gallo to get Major League experience in 2017. The departures of Ian Desmond and Mitch Moreland have opened up a role for Gallo this upcoming season. That role is to become the superstar power bat in the middle of the order.

That seems like too much pressure to put on a young player, but Gallo has the ability. The Rangers just need to push Gallo into taking the next step. Gallo could be the biggest sleeper player on the Rangers roster in 2017.