On Wednesday night, the New York Yankees agreed to send four prospects to the Texas Rangers in exchange for infielder/outfielder Joey Gallo and reliever Joely Rodriguez.
Gallo is, of course, a middle-of-the-order run producer that is currently sporting a high .379 OBP despite his elevated 32.2 strikeout percentage.
His batting average is low, at .223, but 25 homers and a bunch of doubles have contributed to his very good .490 slugging percentage.
Add his elite outfield defense (Gold Glove award winner in 2020, 95th percentile in Outs Above Average in 2021) and he is a very good player.
The fact that he is powerful, with a high OBP, and doesn’t hit a lot of grounders mean that he can be deployed anywhere from leadoff to the fifth spot.
That’s why he fits the Yankees’ lineup to perfection.
A Closer Look At The Yankees Lineup
DJ LeMahieu is usually the leadoff hitter, with Aaron Judge hitting second.
After Judge, manager Aaron Boone could pencil Gallo (or newly-acquired Anthony Rizzo, a fellow lefty) in front of righty Giancarlo Stanton as a way to “split” the right-handed batters.
Great hitters produce when put anywhere in the lineup, but that way, Rougned Odor wouldn’t have to bat third (he would stand to lose most of his playing time after the latest additions anyway), as he did on Thursday for example, and the Yankees can still split the righties with two quality left-handed mashers.
After Stanton (usually the cleanup hitter), the Yankees have been hitting Gleyber Torres, Gary Sanchez, and Gio Urshela in some order.
One of the lefties, either Gallo or Rizzo (the one that doesn’t hit third) can occupy the fifth spot after Stanton and somewhat split the Stanton-Sanchez-Torres-Urshela string of righties.
The Yankees projected lineup following the trades for Joey Gallo and Anthony Rizzo look 💯🔥.#MLBTradeDeadline #SquadUp #LFG pic.twitter.com/abLJxtrjmg
— radiohaven.com 🎧🎤♿️ #Crypto $radiohaven (@realradiohaven) July 30, 2021
A Great, Versatile Player
Despite his size (6’5’’), he is an extremely athletic ballplayer and is capable of covering several positions on the field.
Joey Gallo, 27, has played exclusively right field this season and won a Gold Glove at the position in 2020. He also has @MLB starts at LF, CF, 1B and 3B, in addition to DH.
And one crucial detail: He won't be a free agent until after 2022. @MLBNetwork
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) July 29, 2021
When he broke in the majors, Texas used Gallo equally as a third baseman and a left fielder.
He was also deployed at first base sparingly over the years.
With time, the Rangers realized that while he could play the infield corners, he wasn’t very good at it, and moved him to the outfield permanently.
He has been one of the league’s best defensive outfielders in the last two years, and won a Gold Glove as a right fielder last season.
He can play some center fielder, too, and while it is not his best position, he is more than serviceable there.
The Yankees, therefore, got themselves someone who can play elite defense at the outfield corners, a good center fielder, and an emergency third baseman and first baseman.
That versatility should get him in the lineup almost every day.
With the Bombers, he is expected to be the regular left fielder, although he could find himself playing a lot of center.
In the Yankees’ lineup, he will have more opportunities to score and drive in runs than in Texas.
His high OBP means he is best deployed in front of a run-producer, like Stanton, so he should bat anywhere from second to fifth depending on what the manager decides when everything is said and done.
NEXT: Did Rangers Or Yankees Win Joey Gallo Trade?