Texas Rangers: Joey Gallo Must Enter the Home Run Derby in 2019

Two full seasons of Joey Gallo have passed and the Texas Rangers slugger has yet to compete in the home run derby. That needs to change in 2019.

Joey Gallo has hit 81 home runs combined the last two seasons with the Texas Rangers. And most of the those aren’t just fence-scraping round-trippers. No, they are absolute bombs. Every time Gallo takes a swing at a pitch, there’s a good chance he’s going to launch a ball into orbit. He absolutely crushes baseballs and he does it in entertaining fashion.

Yet, he still refuses to enter the MLB All-Star Home Run Derby. Why Joey? Why won’t you enter?

Texas Rangers fans have witnessed the awe-inspiring hacks of Gallo for two years. We know the power in his swing, the way baseballs leave the yard at unholy launch angles, and with line drive speed. We know that long, looping swing is either going to end in a strikeout or a baseball being sent to the upper deck of the right field seats.

But the rest of the baseball world doesn’t know this. They’ve only seen glimpses of Gallo’s power. They don’t know what it’s like to see him take a hack that could potentially cause a tornado and render a baseball into powder. They think Aaron Judge has power. Imagine if they knew about Gallo, the Greek God of dingers.

We all know what happened the last time a Ranger entered the Home Run Derby. Josh Hamilton put on the greatest show of power ever seen. Click on that link and relive the moment. The crowd lost their collective minds; Hamilton’s baseball peers couldn’t believe what they were witnessing.

I’m not saying Gallo would have a performance like Hamilton’s; that’d be hard to replicate. But I am saying Gallo has the same capacity to amaze.

So, I’m here to argue for Gallo entering the Home Run Derby. I’m putting this out here in November so there’s plenty of time for him to think about it. Forget worrying about him messing up his swing, or not getting a break in the middle of a long season.

The Texas Rangers probably won’t be competing for a World Series next year, so Rangers fans need something to cheer about. We need the rest of Major League Baseball to understand the magic of a Joey Gallo home run.

Come on, Joey. Do it for the kids.