Brian Cashman Maintains Faith in Joey Gallo with Aaron Boone Comparison

Joey Gallo’s tenure in the Bronx has been less than smooth, but the Yankees’ general manager believes the outfielder will find consistency.

Brian Cashman, speaking to reporters before New York’s win over the Blue Jays on Wednesday, said “I’m not worried about Joey Gallo,” per the Daily News’ Kristie Ackert. Gallo, starting in left field, proceeded to go 1-4 with one strikeout. The slugger is now hitting .187 with a .611 OPS. A left-handed hitter known for his Three True Outcomes style – home run, walk or strikeout – Gallo has gone deep just three times and only has four RBI this season. He has 32 strikeouts compared to 11 walks over 27 games, and he’s occasionally found himself to be the odd man out of New York’s lineup.

Cashman, however, still has faith in the 28-year-old, impending free agent.

“I can just tell you this: he works his ass off, he cares a great deal,” Cashman said. “He’s bonded with his teammates, and over time, certainly, I think he’ll find that higher ground on a more consistent basis.”

Gallo has struggled since coming over from the Rangers in a pre-trade deadline deal last summer. He hit a mere .160 over his first 58 games with the Yankees, adding a .707 OPS with 13 homers and 22 RBI. While expected to strike out, his 38.6 K% was higher than it was with Texas, while his 16.2 BB% also moved in the wrong direction.

However, Gallo has the talent and the swing to turn things around, which brought Cashman to Aaron Boone. Now New York’s manager, Boone first joined the Yankees as an All-Star third baseman in 2003. His regular-season production dipped after leaving the Reds, but no one remembers that because of the walk-off ALCS home run he hit against the Red Sox, which earned Boone a profane middle name.

“Boone really struggled after the trade deadline. But he’s going to be remembered in history for one swing of the bat,” Cashman said before noting that Gallo can help the Yankees with his glove and eyes until his stroke comes around. “There’s a lot of different ways he can contribute. And there’s still obviously a hell of a lot of time on the clock for him, whether it’s contributing in one big game or one big series or obviously a floodgate, an avalanche of success that he’s certainly capable of.”

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