Joey Gallo has become one of the greatest examples of the Three True Outcomes, but there is one statistic that truly shows that extreme.
Over the years, Texas Rangers slugger Joey Gallo has been known as one of the great Three True Outcome hitters in the game today. He hit prodigious home runs, his impressive power coming through with every swing of the bat. However, his all or nothing approach leads to plenty of strikeouts and teams pitching around him.
That approach has also led to several interesting statistics. One of the more interesting statistical comparisons shows the extremes in his approach.
Joey Gallo has a lower career batting average than Christy Mathewson, and a higher career OPS than Reggie Jackson.
— Aidan Jackson-Evans (@ajacksonevans) July 18, 2020
Over his career, Gallo has posted a .212/.331/.516 batting line. Christy Mathewson produced a .215 batting average. Reggie Jackson, known as one of the more fearsome sluggers in major league history, had a .846 OPS, just behind Gallo.
It is not necessarily a surprise that Gallo would have such extremes when it comes to his production. That comparison is just another example of the results generated by his approach. After all, to this point in his career, Gallo still has more homers (110) than singles (105) in the majors.
Gallo’s tendency to swing and miss does also decrease his chances to actually get a hit. He has a lifetime 38.0% strikeout rate as a result from his approach. But Gallo also has an extra base hit in 63% of his hits, leading to that impressive OPS.
There are signs that this statistic may not be relevant for long. In his 297 plate appearances last season, he produced a .253/.389/.598 batting line, easily the best of his career despite striking out 114 times. Another season with that type of production will put Mathewson in his rearview mirror.
Joey Gallo has had a strange career from a statistical standpoint. His rate stats offensively, compared to Christy Mathewson and Reggie Jackson, just serve to hammer that point home.