Rangers’ Gallo showing he’s more than just a ‘big dude’

Only an injury to Adrian Beltre’s right calf allowed Joey Gallo to make the Texas Rangers’ Opening Day roster and to open the season as their everyday third baseman.

And it has been every day. The Rangers (4-7) played their 11th game of the season Saturday night, a 5-0 loss at Safeco Field, and Gallo made his 11th consecutive start.

The Mariners broke open a scoreless tie against Andrew Cashner in the sixth on Kyle Seager’s two-run single. Cashner was relieved by Mike Hauschild, who immediately gave up a three-run home run to Taylor Motter.

If there is a silver lining in the Beltre injury, which turned into another calf strain and a longer stint on the 10-day disabled list, it’s that Gallo is finally getting a chance to show himself and the Rangers that he can play in the major leagues.

The fans are also getting that chance, or at least a chance to see Gallo on a regular basis rather than spot duty or in minor league box scores. Here’s what they’re seeing:

Gallo is having professional at-bats, the best of his young career.

His defense, aside from on missed grounder, has been flawless and certainly not a liability.

This big man can run, too, which he showed April 5 by winning a race to second base. He had even stolen two bases.

Gallo hasn’t been the player his critics have long said he would be.

“For me, I knew that if I could get some consistent at-bats and some time to learn and grow that I can show what I can really bring to a team. It’s not just go up there and pray that I can hit a home run. I can play defense, be versatile, run the bases and do everything that I can possibly do to help the team win and not just be a big dude swinging for the fences.”

To Gallo’s point, 11 games is a short sample, but it’s the longest consecutive stretch of games he has played in the majors and it’s going to get longer assuming he doesn’t drop off drastically.

Through 11 games he is batting . 229 with two homers and nine RBIs. He had also drawn a team-high six walks. His two steals were tied for the team lead with Elvis Andrus, who has swiped at least 20 in all nine seasons in his career and is the franchise’s all-time leader in steals.

The average isn’t eye-popping, but it’s better than veteran teammates Carlos Gomez, Mike Napoli and Jonathan Lucroy. The at-bats, though, have been among the best on the team.

“The at-bats have been extremely competitive for Joey,” manager Jeff Banister said.

Part of the reason for that is that Gallo feels comfortable. It’s not just being around his teammates since February that has led to the comfort. He doesn’t have to look over his shoulder each time he makes a mistake and fear that he will be on the bench for the next game.

It’s similar to what Nelson Cruz felt in 2008, when the Rangers recalled him after an MVP season in Triple A. He was told that he would be in the lineup every day the rest of the season, even if he had gone 0 for 4 the previous game.

Cruz was an All-Star the next season.

“Before if I made a mistake I was like, ‘Sorry,’ ” Gallo said. “Now, it’s like, ‘It’s all right. Go get them next time.’ You’re not even thinking about the negative anymore. That definitely helps ease your mind a little bit.”

What the Rangers have seen so far isn’t a finished product, and Gallo doesn’t pretend that he’s now an established player. But he’s better than the player the Rangers and fans saw last season, when he went 1 for 25 with 19 strikeouts.

And there’s this: Gallo is still only 23 despite being a top prospect since he was drafted 39th overall in 2012.

So far in his age-23 season, Gallo hasn’t been the player his critics have long said he would be. He’s having solid at-bats, playing solid defense, and even stealing bases.

As he put it, he’s not just some big dude swinging for the fences.

“A lot of people think that’s what I am, but usually they haven’t seen me play,” said Gallo, who is 6-foot-5 and 250 pounds. “I take pride in not being that. I just happen to be able to hit the ball farther than most people when I barrel it up. That’s all.”

This story was originally published April 15, 2017 at 10:56 PM with the headline "Rangers’ Gallo showing he’s more than just a ‘big dude’."