Texas Rangers: 3 Biggest Surprise Players This Season

ARLINGTON, TX - AUGUST 01: Joey Gallo (Photo by Rick Yeatts/Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TX - AUGUST 01: Joey Gallo (Photo by Rick Yeatts/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 4
Next
ARLINGTON, TX – AUGUST 01: Joey Gallo (Photo by Rick Yeatts/Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TX – AUGUST 01: Joey Gallo (Photo by Rick Yeatts/Getty Images) /

Joey Gallo

The biggest surprise for the Rangers has been the emergence of the power hitting infielder Joey Gallo. He got an opportunity when veteran Adrian Beltre went on the disabled list early in the season and it’s been history since then.

This season Gallo is hitting .203 with 28 home runs and 52 RBI in 97 games. The young slugger leads the Rangers in slugging percentage, home runs and is second behind Shin-Soo Choo in walks.

More from Nolan Writin'

The strikeout numbers are concerning as Gallo has 132 strikeouts this season already. He’s been able to take his walks as well, and the Rangers knew he’d have huge strikeout numbers from the beginning.

The Rangers have seen Gallo hit some moonshot home runs this season that have gone over 450 feet. He’s currently carrying a 2.2 WAR and despite his batting average has been a spark to the Rangers offense this season.

The 23-year-old has earned himself a starting role in Texas, and could be the player that will take over for Beltre after the 2018 season. There is still plenty of room for improvement with Gallo, but he’s put together a strong campaign.