Inside The Dodgers

Former Dodgers Outfielder Posts First Video After Converting to Pitching

J.P. Hoornstra|
Oct 12, 2022; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers left fielder Joey Gallo (12) and left fielder Chris Taylor (3) before game two of the NLDS for the 2022 MLB Playoffs against the San Diego Padres at Dodger Stadium.
Oct 12, 2022; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers left fielder Joey Gallo (12) and left fielder Chris Taylor (3) before game two of the NLDS for the 2022 MLB Playoffs against the San Diego Padres at Dodger Stadium. | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

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Los Angeles Dodgers

March 16 was the first day of the rest of Joey Gallo's life.

On the same day he was released by the Chicago White Sox in spring training, the former Dodgers outfielder took to social media to make a surprising announcement.

“It’s been fun outfield,” he captioned the post, which included a video of him throwing out runners on the bases.

Gallo later clarified: “Just to be clear, I will be pitching.”

Saturday, we got our first glimpse of Gallo on a pitching rubber.

"First bullpen just dropped," read the post on Twitter/X.

Gallo, 31, was respected for his strong arm as an outfielder and big bat as a left-handed slugger. Since he was traded by the Texas Rangers to the New York Yankees in 2021, however, he was inconsistent at the plate, with strikeout rates of 39.8, 42.8 and 39.2 over his final three seasons (2022-24), respectively.

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In spring training with Chicago, the two-time All-Star managed just two hits in 20 at-bats while striking out 11 times.

Now he'll try his hand at pitching, though he must prove himself in the new endeavor all over again. Gallo will likely have to sign with an independent league team, or latch on with an MLB organization on a minor league contract, before he toes the rubber in a big league game.

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Gallo made his MLB debut in 2015 and earned All-Star selections in 2019 and 2021 with Texas. He also won Gold Glove Awards in 2020 and 2021.

Over parts of 10 MLB seasons, Gallo has hit .194 with 208 home runs, 453 RBIs, and 1,292 strikeouts across 2,869 at-bats. He has played for the Texas Rangers (2015-21), New York Yankees (2021-22), Dodgers (2022), Minnesota Twins (2023), and Washington Nationals.

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A native of Henderson, Nevada, Gallo appeared in 44 games in a Dodger uniform in his lone season in Los Angeles. He played one inning in left field in the 2022 National League Division Series against the San Diego Padres, but did not collect a plate appearance in the postseason. He became a free agent after the World Series, and signed with the Twins in Dec. 2022.

Gallo got all but one of his starts in the field as a Dodger in the outfield; the other was at first base. He slashed .162/.277/.393 (86 OPS+) after arriving in a midseason trade with the New York Yankees for then-minor league pitcher Clayton Beeter.

For more Dodgers news, head over to Dodgers on SI.

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J.P. Hoornstra
J.P. HOORNSTRA

J.P. Hoornstra is an On SI Contributor. A veteran of 20 years of sports coverage for daily newspapers in California, J.P. covered MLB, the Los Angeles Dodgers, and the Los Angeles Angels (occasionally of Anaheim) from 2012-23 for the Southern California News Group. His first book, The 50 Greatest Dodgers Games of All-Time, published in 2015. In 2016, he won an Associated Press Sports Editors award for breaking news coverage. He once recorded a keyboard solo on the same album as two of the original Doors.

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