Wednesday, May 11, 2022

More on Pal Joey

 

I guess it's pretty unfair to unload on Joey Gallo today, as the young man is returning to the lineup, after being so "banged up" he couldn't start in two of the last three Yankee contests.  

What's more, Joey is smokin'.

In his last three plate appearances, he had two walks and a broken-bat single. A week ago, he even hit a home run.

Indeed, after his 16-game start of 0 home runs, 0 RBI, and a .136 average, Pal Joey has been on a veritable tear. Since April 24th, the Man with the Thousand-Mile Stare has given us 3 homers, 4 ribbies, and a partridge in a pear tree. Plus he brought his batting average all the way up to .183.


But let's take a closer look at our friend, courtesy of baseballreference.  

Gallo may be batting only .183, but against lefties he's hitting....091. That's 2-22, one single, one homer, one run driven in. His OPS against southpaws is .394.

What's more, he seems to really struggle at the Stadium, where he has more power (2 home runs and a double, as opposed to 1 home run on the road) but is batting only .167.  

But, I hear you protest, what about his amazing ability to get on base??? After all, Joey led the AL in walks last year, with 111.

This year...not so much. Right now, he's on a pace to walk...61 times. 

But what about his power???? Those 38 home runs last year were nothing to sneeze at!

Right. But this year, he's on a pace to hit...17.

But what about his ability in the clutch?

Well, with runners in scoring position...he's hitting .105. With two outs and runners in scoring position...000.

With men on base, he's hitting .143 (including two strikeouts in two at-bats with the bases loaded). 

Late & close? Our boy is bad & worse: .071.  And on and on.

Look, I hate to be mean, folks...well, actually, I kinda like it...but we're just not going to win with this nullity in the lineup, PLUS nothing much in the way of hitting from our stalwarts at catcher, second, short, third, and center.  

The Yanks need another bat, they need it now, and they don't need it to be another of Cooperstown Cashman's dumpster dives. Time to bring up Andujar for more than two games, and see if he can at least DH.

Instead, what I suspect we'll get is another Stephen Drew/Brian Roberts of a season, from a washed-up ballplayer whose suckitude Brian Cashman refuses to accept because it will reduce his aura of omnipotence.

35 comments:

AboveAverage said...

be kind to Gallo's tender grapes
and forgive
mistakes he makes
for one day soon
his swings will swoon
and his balls will
go KABOOM

JM said...

Side note--Luis Gil is pitching tomorrow's game, called up after the doubleheader exhausted our regular rotation.

His ERA down in the minors is 9.38 or so this year.

Should be fun.

BTR999 said...

I don't think much of Gil, his lack of command and control is tough to endure...then again the CWS are underwhelming offensively, but it sure seems like losses for us today + tomorrow.

JM said...

Speaking of Gallo, let's see how Josh Donaldson is doing against Gio.

Josh: BA .215, 2 HR, 7 RBI, OBP .342, SLG .344, OPS .686...2 errors, FLD% .962

Gio: BA .235, 1 HR, 7 RBI, OBP .299, SLG .294, OPS .593...2 errors, FLD% .957

So, yeah, Donaldson is a little bit of an upgrade in terms of OBP and power. But the much-discussed defensive upgrade is vaporware.

We'll see how it goes.

Meanwhile, on the left coast, our man Andy Valasquez is only 12 for 68 for .176. Ouch. But he does have 5 stolen bases in 24 games.

Tyler Wade, however, is 17 for 60, a nice .283. No power, of course, but 3 stolen bases in 25 games.

Meanwhile, the only guy we have who's a stolen base threat is Locastro, and he doesn't get many chances because he almost never plays an actual game. It would be nice to have some guys in the day-to-day lineup who steal. But that's not the Yankee Way. Don't think it ever has been.


DickAllen said...



Let's not lose sight of our delicate heroes who need a day off after an exhausting night of baseball last night. Those rainouts (last week?) obviously had a terrible affect on their tortured bodies.



On another note, the Yankees need to trade Judge before the deadline. I don't want to see this guy hobbling around in pinstripes ten years from now. But knowing how The Intern operates, he'll let him walk for nothing at the end of the season.

DickAllen said...


And the less said about Gallows the better. Hit the eject button. I hear Cincinnati is lovely this time of the year.

JM said...

I don't think they'll let Judge walk. But by paying him an enormous salary, they'll cut back on other positions that could use some help so the aggregate team salary stays under the cap...er, luxury tax threshold.

On the other hand, it would be like Hal and Cashman to let Judge go and sign someone who's overpriced and underperforming. Wonder how Ellsbury is feeling these days?

Kevin said...

Why in the HELL is BOONE resting Stanton today against our most lethal divisional rivals?????

JM said...

Kevin, we must take care with our porcelain giants.

AboveAverage said...

Just in case no one noticed - that's 5 RBI for Gleyber

JM said...

Yanks getting better at using the short porch.

Kevin said...

JM, I keep forgetting...

JM said...

I'm watching the game on YES, but on my computer. And the sound is totally out of sync...the picture is behind more than enough to notice.

Rufus T. Firefly said...

White Sox Indians cancelled due to INDIANs players and coaches testing positive for the plague.

They were in the same clubhouse the Yankees are heading to tomorrow in the windy city.

paging the black swan...

Rufus T. Firefly said...

Swanny,

If you're taking requests...

...a certain left fielder (ahem).

JM said...

A virus doesn't live that long on its own, Rufus. We'll be OK.

However, one never knows, do one?

Rufus T. Firefly said...

A guy can hope.

DickAllen said...



Gallows strikes out. It's somehow comforting to know that some things don't change. He should share a house with Sonny Gray. They'd make a good couple.

JM said...

Kay and Cam going on about "how good this team will be once guys like Gallo and Rizzo start hitting."

To be fair, Rizzo has been great, but now in a bad slump.

JM said...

Boone is not going to just sit there and let Cashman blow this game, Kay sez.

JM said...

One run in, man on first, only one out.

I think Kay may be wrong there.

JM said...

Not Cashman, Chappie.

lol!

JM said...

Jesus, Bechette almost hit a HR.

Boone, let's go, man.

JM said...

Jesus fucking Christ. Chapman pulled it together, finally. But he only missed disaster by a whisker.

ranger_lp said...

Yankees win!!!

HoraceClarke66 said...

Very true on using the front porch, JM. And by the playoffs, they should be just about ready to make all sorts of outs there in other ballparks.

HoraceClarke66 said...

DickAllen, you've fallen into...THE CASHMAN CONUNDRUM!!! (Aaaaagggghhhh!)

There are plenty of good reasons to trade Judge, as you say.

There are plenty of good reasons to re-sign Judge, as others say.

Cashman will not trade Judge, because that would mean endangering our riveting chase for the Wild Card Play-in.

Cashman cannot trade Judge, without some competent general manager picking him clean.

It IS entirely possible, as JM notes, that Cashman will pay Judge much more money than he could have got away with this spring...then use that as the latest excuse not to put together a better team.

There's no escape!!!

HoraceClarke66 said...

And pending tonight's game, the Red Sox are now 11 games out of first.

Heheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheh.

Hehheh.

Heh.

Joe Formerlyof Brooklyn said...


On Joey Gallo: When I was a kid, I liked to play basketball. I was horrible -- short, overweight, slow. You name it, I was bad.

My primary attribute: I could set a mean pick.

I was, in other words, the Handicap Player. With me on a team, that team was already 15 yards behind the starting line when the gun went off.

Ditto Joey Gallo. He be the Handicap Player. Heck, without him the NYYs might be 25-and-5.

AboveAverage said...

J F o B - "15 yards behind the starting line when the gun went off?" Your basketball games sure had strange rules. Did you get to fire the gun?

Doug K. said...

I'll be honest with all of you. I don't know what to make of this team. Last night's win actually gave me pleasure. Gleyber driving in five today gave me... I don't know, certainly not hope, but some vaguely identifiable feeling.

The whole thing is weird.

BTR999 said...

Doug and All: Enjoy the ride! I felt sure we'd lose today - perhaps the Jujubees do listen. Glad I was wrong.

Last night, Darth Vader appeared to me in a dream and said "I find your lack of faith...disturbing" Food for thought? I need to eat some more of this particular meal before I think that way.

But remember - there ARE rapids and waterfalls ahead, maybe just around the next bend.

DickAllen said...



Doug, that vaguely identifiable feeling?

It's called a delusion.

Like dating a beautiful woman and after a few nice months together, you're still wondering: "...what the hell is she doing with me..."

Until the day arrives when you discover you're in love with a borderline personality disorder. That's the day when hell opens its doors to you. You don't want to leave and you can't stay.

You keep hoping it will get better and in the back of your mind you know better.

Just remember the last twelve years.


HoraceClarke66 said...

I have the same fears, DickAllen.

On the other hand, it doesn't seem like this team is even playing all this well. Is it just the bottom feeding?

I had a similar feeling about the 2019 team, and it just kept winning, and winning, and winning. Until the ALCS, of course. But Cashman says that shouldn't count.

edb said...

Way to go Horace. Nicely written. How about jumping on Genius Cashman, the man who brought him in. Imagine an executive in love with Joey K. and Barren Hicks. Two pieces of crap that he brought in.