Los Angeles — Former Yankees slugger Joey Gallo is happy with his current team the LA Dodgers, where he has found his lost form. The left-handed hitter credits the turnaround in his batting record this season to the laid-back vibe and just-baseball philosophy of his new team.
Our vibe here is laid back, try to win games, try not to make it more than anything than just baseball, the former Yankee said. I think that’s been nice. It’s been good so far.
Gallo has performed well for the Dodgers since being traded by the Yankees on Aug. 2, where he was benched after struggles and fan animosity. His record stands .196/.339/.478 with a .818 OPS, three homers, and eight RBIs with the Dodgers.
In a sign of how highly the Dodgers think of the left-handed hitter and slugger, the team, which currently holds the best performance record, has chosen him to bat fifth against the Mets on Tuesday’s game.
They’ve seen some things they think they can make me better at, Gallo said after the Dodgers’ 4-3 win. It doesn’t happen overnight, but when I first got there to LA, it was, ‘Hey, we’re just going to work on the process with you and get you back to who you are and who you can be.’
Before the deadline last year, Gallo was traded from the Rangers to the Yankees. He didn’t get a hit in 106 of his 233 at-bats this season. He was often booed, and he said he didn’t want to be seen in the city.
Sometimes a change of scenery helps, Gallo said. There was nothing the Yankees were doing wrong. I just didn’t play well there. I wish I played better.
He struggled against the Marlins, going 0-for-9 with four strikeouts, and was hitless Tuesday night but got an RBI on a hit-by-pitch with the bases loaded. The soon-to-be free agent has been more productive with them than the Yankees. The Yankees are 8-16 since acquiring Gallo, while the Dodgers are 14-4 when he plays for them.
Gallo watches his former team members. He congratulated Aaron Judge on his 50th home run via text on Tuesday. Gallo could see them if both teams make the World Series. He wants a reunion.
I get a ring either way, he joked. My chances there go up a little bit. I want the best for those guys. I love those guys over there. It would be exciting obviously to play them.
Do you think the Yankees did a mistake by trading Joey Gallo in August?
