Rangers Prospect Is Home Run Machine at Futures Batting Practice

There are hot streaks for power hitters in baseball, and then there are home run rampages. Texas Rangers No. 2 prospect Joey Gallo is on fire, and, at the SiriuxXM All-Star Futures Game, he easily outdistanced the field in batting practice with 15 homers. It was a masterful batting practice performance, one that indicates Gallo could be on his way to big things in the majors.

Many of Gallo’s home runs went deep into the stands, and six of them even made it all the way to the third deck in right center-field. Furthermore, three of his balls sailed out of the park—one of them even smashed the window of a vehicle parked outside!

Gallo confidently assessed his performance in the Futures Game batting practice afterward. “My first swing, I was up there just swinging and I hit a home run and heard people go kind of like, ‘Ohhhhh,’” Gallo said. “I said, ‘I might as well put on a show. People are paying good money to be here, so I’ll give them what they want.’” Gallo did manage to find one fault with his play: “I heard I broke a windshield, and I do feel bad about that,” he added.

Gallo left spectators understandably impressed, and he also got the attention of the baseball decision-makers in attendance. One scout said he was awed by what Gallo had accomplished in a major league park—“Gallo was the winner, absolutely,” the scout said. “You come to the Futures Game and these type of events, and to see the way his power plays, and the way his balls carry and what they look like here in a big league setting… You watch the balls carry the way they do, into the upper deck with the overhang and out of the stadium. Wow.”

This Rangers prospect seems to be on track for big things, as he earned a $2.25 million bonus after being selected as a supplemental first-round MLB draft pick in 2012. Gallo also set an Arizona League rookie record with 18 home runs in his debut season, led all of the Minor Leagues with 40 homers the following season, and is tied for the Minor League lead at the moment with 31.

Batting well takes a good deal of practice—and summer is a better time than ever to get into the batting cages! Find out what Wheelhouse Batting Cages can do for you.