Texas Rangers Prospect Joey Gallo is 2013 MiLB Home Run King

Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

Joey Gallo used a late-season surge to become the first teenager to hit 40 home runs since 1962, and led all of minor league baseball in homers this year.

The third baseman hit 38 of those long balls for the Hickory Crawdads in the Class A South Atlantic League, which is considered more of a pitcher’s league thanks in part to the thick, humid air.

Gallo doesn’t turn 20 until November, but already has quite the resume. The Texas Rangers picked the Las Vegas native 39th overall in the 2012 draft, and all he’s done is mash ever since. Gallo has 62 home runs in 170 games as a professional.

As often is the case, with big power numbers come a concerning amount of strikeouts. Gallo struckout 172 times in 111 games this season. Gallo has also struggled in the field, committing 38 errors of the past two seasons.

With that kind of power and plenty of time to work on his shortcomings, Gallo is still certainly someone to get excited about. He slugged seven homers over his final six games to edge Houston Astros prospect George Springer, who hit 37 home runs in Triple-A, for the home run king crown. For his efforts, Gallo will be presented the Joe Bauman Trophy and awarded $8,000 at the Winter Meetings in Orlando, Fla. this December.

Now that Mike Olt is out of the picture, Gallo has a great opportunity to position himself as the heir apparent to Adrian Beltre, who is signed through 2015 with an option for 2016.