Joey Gallo on Globe Life Field: 'It's Definitely Going to Be a Pitcher's Park'
For any fans who have wondered how Globe Life Field is going to play, Texas Rangers star Joey Gallo was pretty blunt in a conference call with the local beat writers.
“It is playing big as hell," Gallo said.
When one of the strongest hitters in baseball says something like that, it's hard to ignore it.
"It is definitely going to be a pitcher's park," Gallo said. "We are trying to get those fences moved in a little bit. It’s a little deep I am not going to lie. Us hitters are getting a little nervous about that. But it’s a beautiful ballpark."
With restrictions in place, the Rangers have been allowing players who are living or currently residing in the area to utilize the new state-of-the-art retractable roof stadium. Gallo did mention that players that are working out at the facility have been hitting with the roof closed and that it could possibly play different with the roof open.
Globe Life Field's dimensions are especially deep in center field, reaching as far as 410 feet.
If the new ballpark does turn out to favor pitchers, it would be a significant change from Globe Like Park, the former home of the Rangers that still sits across the street. Globe Life Park favored hitters, especially the power-hitting lefties like Gallo, thanks to a jet stream that helped carry the ball to right field.
With Rangers General Manager Jon Daniels visiting the facility on Monday, Gallo and the other players did not pass up the opportunity to mention the position of the fences to the team's President of Baseball Operations.
"He was there today. I asked him if he could move them back even more so we can't hit any home runs," Gallo joked.
“We said it, and hopefully you guys will write about it and we’ll get them moved in,” Gallo continued. “It’s definitely playing bigger than our old ballpark so far. I’m getting nervous. I’m a home-run hitter. That’s what I’m relying on.”
In regards to the synthetic playing surface that became a polarizing topic among players and fans alike, Gallo spoke highly of the new playing surface.
"It's really nice turf," Gallo said. "It really doesn't feel like turf. It's the best turf I've been on. It doesn't feel like there's any lingering side effects from it. The playing surface is top-of-the-line. It doesn't get any better than that."
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