Dodgers: Watch as Hanser Alberto Refuses to Leave Joey Gallo Alone
How can you not love Hanser Alberto?
Alberto joined the Dodgers this season, and his teammates immediately fell in love with him, with the fans joining in the love pretty soon after. His energy, personality, and vibrance light up the dugout and the clubhouse.
Another new Dodger is Joey Gallo, who came to Los Angeles from the Yankees in a trade-deadline deal. Gallo and Alberto have known each other for a long time, having been teammates in the Rangers minor-league system and on Texas' big-league club. And Gallo, like everyone else who knows Alberto, seems to love him.
According to Instagram, Hanser seems like the annoying little brother in the relationship. He constantly follows Gallo around the clubhouse, pointing his phone at him and trying to bug him. It's hilarious to watch, and knowing that Gallo is secretly enjoying it as much as Alberto is makes it that much better.
Alberto seems to have developed a strong friendship with each of his teammates, but he and Gallo have seven years of history together, so it's that much better. Alberto's ability to keep everyone loose and having fun has drawn comparisons with one of the Dodgers' most loved players from the past. As Justin Turner said recently on his wife Kourtney's podcast:
“Obviously I love all our guys and everyone is great, but this guy just brings a little bit different edge to the table, and he’s probably one of the least talked about guys that we got this year. Hanser Alberto. High energy, funny, always in a great mood. Like personality, everything, how he goes about it, he reminds me of Juan Uribe. I think we’re going to have a lot of fun playing on the same team this year. Keep an eye out for Alberto. He’s been an absolute gem of a human.”
Gallo and Alberto first played together in the minor leagues in 2015, and they made their major-league debuts for Texas just four days apart that year. They were teammates in Texas through 2018, when Alberto departed for the Orioles.
Now they're back together in Los Angeles, and it's like they never left.
When the Dodgers acquired Gallo earlier this month, fans weren't thrilled with the deal, as Gallo had struggled mightily in his year with the Yankees. But Alberto was always confident in his friend and former teammate, and it looks like Hanser knew what he was talking about. After going 2-for-5 with a triple on Sunday, Gallo has a 1.038 OPS in 35 plate appearances in Dodger Blue. He also made two outstanding defensive plays on Sunday, a diving catch to rob a hit and a marvelous throw to nail the speedy Joey Wendle at the plate to end the first inning.
Hanser Alberto and Joey Gallo aren't the only reasons for the Dodgers' success this year — they're not even the main reasons — but they're winning and having fun, which is all a big leaguer can ask for.
