The New York Yankees are one of the best teams in baseball. There are very few weaknesses on this team. However, that doesn't mean that everyone is playing up to their full potential.
Much has been made of Joey Gallo's struggles since coming over from the Texas Rangers last year. The outfielder is one of the best power bats in the game when he's on. However, he hasn't really been on while wearing the iconic pinstripes.
In 230 official at-bats, the former first-round pick has struck out 103 times. He is hitting just .161 on the season in 80 games.
You can imagine the surprise that followed when Yankees manager Aaron Boone elected to go with Gallo in a big situation against the New York Mets on Tuesday.
The Decisi0n
The Mets and Yankees were in the eighth inning with the score 5-3 in favor of the hosting Mets. Infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa was due to hit with two outs and a runner on first.
However, Boone decided to go with Gallo in a pinch-hit situation. He faced Mets reliever Edwin Diaz, who struck out the former first-round pick to end the inning. The Mets would score again in the bottom of the inning, and go on to win 6-3.
Forcing Their Hand
Boone spoke to reporters following the game, where he defended his decision. And the move, in a way, worked out for him. There was more than just getting a hit in that situation, according to the Yankees skipper.
“It’s not [just] about getting a hit in that situation,” Boone said of his decision. “The other component is forcing their hand to at least get their closer in there for a four-out situation.”
Kiner-Falefa recorded two hits earlier in the game to extend his hitting streak to 13 games. This is the longest streak of any Yankees hitter this season.
An Understanding
To his credit, Kiner-Falefa didn't seem upset about the switch. He told reporters that he was fine with his manager's decision to lift him from the game.
“It’s a situation where you need two runs and Joey is one of the best power hitters the last couple years, and I got zero [home runs on the season],’’ Kiner-Falefa said. “There’s nothing I can say. You give him an opportunity right there. If I get a single, we’re still down two runs. I’m OK with it.”
Numbered Days
Gallo's involvement in Tuesday's game doesn't change anything about the two-time All-Star's future. He is expected to be traded prior to the August 2nd trade deadline.
And there seems to be a lot of interest in Gallo. His agent, Scott Boras, told reporters a week ago that there are a number of teams that believe the outfielder's struggles would be lessened in a different market.
"I do know that there are a lot of teams that feel that Joey in their market and their uniform would be more of the normal than what he is in New York," Boras said.
]]>The Inquisitr
