A little confidence goes a long way and, coincidently, so does a Joey Gallo home run - The Dallas Morning News

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ARLINGTON — Only a little less than a week into the commissioner’s new brand of no-stick baseball, Joey Gallo isn’t sure he can see the difference in pitches yet.

“Too early to tell,” he said, shrugging.

Here’s the difference, Joey:

They’re louder.

Gallo hit nearly 900 feet of home runs Saturday against the Royals in an 8-0 win that might have been the Rangers’ best overall effort all season. Kyle Gibson’s seven shutout innings leaves him with the league’s best ERA at 2.00. One of baseball’s best young defenses was once again flawless. And, continuing a startling trend, the offense was good, too.

As scenery went Saturday, though, it was hard to beat the sight of Gallo’s three-run, 451-foot moon shot in the fourth, longest at Globe Life Field this season, though his two-run, 445-foot blast in the eighth gave it a good run.

Since a soft start when his power grid was about as effective as ERCOT’s, Gallo has surged. His six home runs in June are the most on the club, and his 13 since the start of May are second only to Adolis Garcia’s 15.

Gallo’s batting average still won’t blow you away. His strikeout rate? Still high.

Just the same, Chris Woodward was here when Gallo put up his best season, in 2019, and he said the Gallo we’re seeing now is the best version yet.

“He’s a more complete player than he was in ’19,” Woodward said. “He understands defense better now. He’s a plus baserunner.

“Overall he’s impacting every game.”

Besides the pair of homers Saturday, he walked his first two at bats, a category in which he leads the league. Maybe that kind of statistic doesn’t get your juices flowing. Besides getting on base, it means he isn’t chasing as much. Most of the strikeouts before Rob Manfred issued his edict declaring the sticky stuff off limits came on swings and misses up in the zone. Pitchers are having a difficult time generating the spin they need to keep pitches up without the benefit of illegal substances.

Woodward compares the difference to playing in Colorado. The thin air takes all the bite out of breaking balls, in particular.

What it means is hitters don’t feel as overwhelmed when they step in the box.

“When you have confidence,” Woodward said, “you’re gonna hit the ball harder.”

Confidence is everything in athletics. You can’t do what you don’t believe. There is nothing harder in sports than hitting a baseball, which is why you have to talk yourself into it sometimes. Like Kevin Costner muttering to himself in Bull Durham.

You ain’t gettin’ that cheese by me, Meat.

“You’ve gotta believe you’re the best player on the planet when you step in the batter’s box,” Woodward said.

When he said that, the manager was talking about Eli White’s lack of confidence before his recent breakout performance. But he may as well have been talking about Gallo.

Woodward used to rave about Gallo’s skill set, calling it among the top five in the game. We hadn’t heard that kind of talk the last year or so. But he stoked that image again Saturday.

“He’s like no other guy I’ve seen,” Woodward said. “He hit a breaking ball and a fastball today. He’s a really tough out right now.

“Even if you pitch him well, he’s a tough out.”

The problem here is that, if the manager believes all of the above, it’s not always clear Gallo does.

The recent uptick in his offense?

“Ebb and flow of the game,” he said the other day. “Sometimes things don’t go your way; sometimes they do.”

And then he said this:

“Sometimes you feel like there’s a hole in your bat and a huge glove in the outfield.”

When I reminded him Saturday of that comment and asked whether he thinks he has enough confidence to be the player Woodward sees, he said, “This is a game of confidence, but obviously when you’re hitting like Adolis [Garcia] is right now, it’s nice to be confident. But if you’re 0-for-20, you feel like, ‘Man, nothing’s gonna break my way.’ That’s the mental battle you deal with every single day.”

Gallo says he’s proud of himself for how he’s done that battle. Five years in the big leagues has helped him to mature. But he still pays too much attention to social media. Still soaks up too many negative vibes. Still gives it too much authority.

He needs to think a little less about his critics and a little more about what his manager says.

He needs to enjoy it a little more.

“It’s great to hit two homers and win a game,” he said. “I’ve been feeling good at the plate. Today I got some pitches to hit and I didn’t miss ‘em.

“It’s good to see that result.”

Yes, Saturday was a great day. He’s had a few lately. There’s a lot more to come, in case he’s still wondering.

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June 27, 2021 at 09:13AM
https://www.dallasnews.com/sports/rangers/2021/06/26/a-little-confidence-goes-a-long-way-and-coincidently-so-does-a-joey-gallo-home-run/

A little confidence goes a long way and, coincidently, so does a Joey Gallo home run - The Dallas Morning News

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