Joey Gallo's move to pitching is a perfect opportunity for the Mariners

Joey Gallo's dismissal from the White Sox and transition to pitching could provide a huge opportunity for the Mariners.
ByTanner Vogt|
Kansas City Royals v Minnesota Twins
Kansas City Royals v Minnesota Twins | Brace Hemmelgarn/GettyImages

Joey Gallo has always been known for his incredible power at the plate, and he has showed it off during his career with seasons of 40, 41, and 38 home runs. However, his career .194 batting average and near 38% strikeout rate have made it hard for him to find consistency.

After being cut by the Chicago White Sox, the 31-year-old announced via X (formerly Twitter) that he will be taking on a new challenge: pitching.

While the idea may have seemed unlikely in the past, Gallo’s arm talent has never been in question. As a high schooler in 2011, he reached 94 mph as a pitcher. As a big leaguer, Statcast once clocked one of his throws from the outfield at 99.3 mph.

If there’s one team that can help Gallo make this switch successfully, it’s the Seattle Mariners.

Mariners should take a chance on Joey Gallo's attempt to reinvent himself as a pitcher

Seattle has built a reputation as one of the best organizations in baseball when it comes to pitching development. They’ve turned young arms like Logan Gilbert, George Kirby, Bryan Woo, and Bryce Miller into major league success stories. They've also helped countless reclamation projects establish themselves as big leaguers, and Gallo could have the best tools of any of them.

He could take the Mariners' data-driven approach that pitchers like Gilbert love and refine his mechanics, develop a secondary pitch, and learn how to attack hitters from a completely new perspective. By signing with the Mariners, Gallo would need to embrace the Mariners mantra, which is the exact thing that he could never do as a hitter: "control the zone."

Gallo’s combination of size, velocity, and athleticism would make him an exciting addition to the Mariners' pitching staff. Standing at 6-foot-5 and 250 pounds, he has the ideal frame for a power pitcher, and his natural ability to generate velocity is a great starting point for the Mariners.

This move is one of the most intriguing stories in baseball. Position players rarely make the jump to the mound with any real success, but Gallo might have the best natural arm talent of anyone that has attempted it. His arm has always been a weapon, and with the Mariners guiding his transition, he would be in the perfect place to thrive as a pitcher.

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