Joey Gallo still slumping, but Texas Rangers want him ‘to keep doing what he’s doing’
Shin-Soo Choo has earned his last accolade.
His Texas Rangers teammates nominated him as the club’s nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award, an yearly acknowledgment of the MLB players who best represents the game through character, community involvement, philanthropy and contributions on and off the field.
It’s hard to argue with the selection of Choo, who just this year donated $1,000 to each Rangers minor leaguer and has also donated $173,000 to the Community Chest of Korea to help with relief efforts in Daegu, South Korea, following the outbreak of COVID-19.
He has donated some $750,000 through the Texas Rangers Baseball Foundation since joining the team in 2014.
On Thursday, Choo hit a solo home run in the eighth inning asthe Rangers’ new No. 3 hitter. He needed a few more guys on base, though.
Here’s some Rangers Reaction from an 8-4 loss to the Houston Astros.
Gallo still struggling
Joey Gallo’s struggles have caused his average to drop from .300 to .175 in one month. Granted, that .300 average came after only eight games, but he didn’t look like a player who was about to go into an 11-for-85 funk.
Heck, manager Chris Woodward labeled him as one of the best players in baseball, in the same company as former MVPs Mike Trout and Mookie Betts.
Gallo has been moved down a spot in the Rangers’ batting order, from fourth to fifth, to try to take some of the pressure off. There’s also a thought that Gallo is pressing too hard each time he sees his numbers tumbling.
Whatever is causing the woes, Woodward offered perhaps a surprising remedy for Gallo.
“I just want to make sure Joey understands that he needs to keep doing what he’s doing,” Woodward said.
This is where process comes in. All that Gallo does except when he’s in the batter’s box is correct. The things happening in the box are a tick off, whether it be with his timing or recognizing pitches.
He is still staying within his approach. He isn’t chasing pitches, for the most part, and continues to regularly draw walks. He has a team-high 24 of them, which ranks seventh in baseball.
“I’ve watched his cage routine. I’ve watched his routine on the field,” Woodward said. “He just needs to trust. Hopefully he just has a little bit of success. He’s really close. He’s just fouling off pitches that typically he puts forward.”
Solak’s future position
There’s no question that Nick Solak is going to be in the Rangers’ lineup next season, and not just because he went double, single, double in his three at-bats Thursday against Zack Greinke.
Those at-bats showed what a quality hitter he is, and the Rangers can’t be shedding anyone who looks like he will be a steady contributor at the plate.
The question, though, is where Solak will play.
He came up through the minors as a second baseman and played there twice in three games against the Astros with Rougned Odor on the injured list and not deserving of playing time when he is healthy.
Solak’s other start came in left field, where the Rangers will also have Willie Calhoun, Eli White and Scott Heineman next spring. Anderson Tejeda started at second while Solak was roaming the outfield.
The Rangers’ long-term need would appear to be at second base. But that might not be where Solak fits best.
“It’s hard to say,” Woodward said. “I think, in my opinion, he probably grades out as a better left fielder than a second baseman, but I don’t mind him at both. It provided a lot of value to us.”
If the Rangers don’t re-sign Choo in the off-season, that would open designated hitter for Calhoun and left field for Solak. That assumes Odor remains in the organization and continues to play.
If Odor doesn’t, or if he is the one asked to learn multiple positions and be more of a utility player, second base would be Solak’s job for 2021. Tejeda is getting playing time this season, but he needs more seasoning in the minors.
The Rangers must have Solak in the lineup every day moving forward.
More on Lynn
As if there wasn’t enough Lance Lynn at star-telegram.com and in Friday’s print edition, here’s a little more:
Lynn allowed 21 home runs last season, eight of them in three games at Minute Maid Park. He allowed two Thursday. He has allowed more than four earned runs in nine starts since joining the Rangers, and four of them have been at Houston.
Lynn lost for the second straight start and has allowed 10 runs in those two games.
He has tossed at least six innings in eight of his nine starts this season, matching Cleveland ace Shane Bieber for the MLB lead.
Lynn threw 111 pitches, topping 100 for his 33rd consecutive start. His nine starts at 100 or more this season are four more than the next closest MLB pitcher entering Thursday.
