Aaron Boone: Joey Gallo Off to 'Good Start' This Season
NEW YORK — Joey Gallo's performance on Sunday night was something Yankees fans are all too familiar with.
The outfielder went 0-for-4 in a 4-3 loss to the Red Sox, striking out swinging on a slider from left-hander Jake Diekman to end the game in the bottom of the ninth.
Statistically, Gallo hasn't exactly roared out of the gates offensively through the first three contests of the 2022 regular season.
After struggling mightily at the plate in 2021—swapping a Rangers uniform for pinstripes when he was acquired at the trade deadline—Gallo has just one hit in 10 at-bats thus far, striking out four times while drawing three walks.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone was asked about Gallo's performance in New York's season-opening series against Boston on Sunday night and while some fans are already growing frustrated with the outfielder, his skipper found the positives.
"I would suggest he's off to—at-bat wise—a good start," Boone said. "I mean, controlling the zone, getting on base, smoked a couple of balls. Tonight, I thought had really good at-bats where he just missed a ball. He's getting to pitches that he wasn't getting to last year. Just missed a ball to center, hit a ball the other way hard to left, smoked a ball to right, another walk. I mean look at what he's doing. And I think we're seeing a lot of good at-bats and a guy that for me has a lot more coverage right now."
Regardless of how you feel about Gallo, Boone has a point.
Each of the three balls Gallo put in play on Sunday were hit at 97-plus mph off his bat. In the third inning, Gallo sent a 112.5-mph missile to right field with an xBA of .990, but Christian Arroyo was able to track it down in front of the short porch.
In fact, both the balls Gallo put into play on Saturday were also hit hard: a 98.9-mph flyout and a 113-mph single off the right field wall (Gallo was thrown out at second trying to stretch it into a double).
Sure, the results so far bring back memories of Gallo's disappointing debut—the outfielder hit just .160 with 88 strikeouts (and 13 home runs) over 58 games in the second half of last season—but it's far too early to make any assessments or jump to any conclusions about what anybody on the Yankees has done between the lines thus far.
It would be a different story if Gallo wasn't barreling the baseball. His hard contact, if anything, should be encouraging as this season gets underway.
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