‘I’m trying to get better ... but that’s me. That’s what I bring to the table’

Joey Gallo, like Little League sensation “Big Al” Delia, hits dingers.

Gallo connected for No. 40 on Tuesday, when he became one of only four Texas Rangers players with consecutive 40-homer seasons. He also joined elite MLB company with multiple 40-homer seasons at age 24 or younger.

Anyone ever hear of Willie Mays or Ken Griffey Jr.? Those are two of the great Gallo’s name is now alongside.

Hitting dingers is Gallo’s job, in addition to playing all three outfield spots and first base. He would play third base, the position he played in the minors, if asked.

Gallo also strikes out, and he became the first player in Rangers history with 200 Ks in one season in his next at-bat in Tuesday’s 4-1 loss to the Los Angeles Angels.

But he is completely OK with who he is as a baseball player — he might even underestimate himself — and doesn’t really give two cents for what others outside the clubhouse think or say about him.

That wasn’t always the case, but it is now. For those who don’t like that or like his 200 strikeouts and .210 batting average, tough.

He is working on getting better, though.

“When I go up there, I’m not trying to strike out, obviously,” Gallo said. “That’s how it is and that’s the player I am. I’m trying to get better, and I feel like I have gotten better, but that’s me. That’s what I bring to the table.”

The belief is that there is more, maybe 50 or 60 points more in the batting average. Beyond that, Gallo has become more selective than he was last season and continues to draw walks.

The 73 he had drawn entering Wednesday were second-most on the team, 19 behind Shin-Soo Choo but 21 ahead of third-place Jurickson Profar.

Gallo’s ability to take walks plus a .260 average and his typically .500-plus slugging percentage would make him a .900 OPS player. That’s a perennial star player.

And he doesn’t turn 25 until November. Interim manager Don Wakamatsu said that Gallo is trending in the right way.

“He continues to do what he’s doing and has learned what he’s done,” Wakamatsu said. “Early on we talked about the shift and how much it effected him. He was trying to bunt and do these different things. Even with the shift the second half, his numbers have been really good. We just continue to talk to him about the success he’s had and maintain that and not change anything.”

Gallo badly wants to be a better hitter. He has talked about it all season, and his teammates and coaches have seen it. Some of the improvement has been on the mental side, too.

He admitted that he is more relaxed now and not worried about trying to make everyone happy. He’s gotten off Twitter, though it’s difficult to escape all the dopey people who direct hate-filled messages to him on social-media platforms.

So 40 homers for two straight seasons? Gallo is thrilled by the accomplishment. He said that he didn’t think he’d be able to do it again.

“It’s real hard to do it,” he said. “To do that and then stay healthy all year, that’s hard to do. The second year is always the toughest, so I knew there would be a little dip and that people were going to make adjustments. It’s tough to get to it. It’s not as easy as it probably seems.”

Easy? Baseball isn’t easy, as Choo said earlier this week. And, as Wakamatsu said earlier, Gallo and other young developing players are still learning and still growing physically.

The trick is making sure the developing player doesn’t get overloaded with things that need work. Gallo knows he has work to do, but he’s a better player today than he was a year ago and will be better in a year than he is today.

He’s at peace with who he is on a baseball field.

“He’s starting to accept himself and feel comfortable in what he’s doing,” Wakamatsu said. “We always want more out of a player, and that’s understandable. But when you push that more too much, does it take that player out of his game? That’s what I’m seeing right now. That’s a pretty dang good player, both offensively and defensively, and one that’s going to help us win.”

This story was originally published September 26, 2018 at 8:11 PM.