Gold Glove utilityman Joey Gallo has signed a minor league contract with the Chicago White Sox that includes an invitation to spring training, the organization announced Thursday. Last season, Gallo played in 76 games for the Washington Nationals, batting.161/.277/.336 with 10 home runs.
The Chicago White Sox and OF/1B Joey Gallo have agreed to terms on a minor-league contract that includes a non-roster invitation to Spring Training.
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox), February 14, 2025.
Gallo, a former first-round draft pick of the Texas Rangers, established himself as one of the league’s top power threats, with two career 40-homer seasons. He made his MLB debut in 2015, hitting a home run and driving in four runs, making him the first Ranger to do it. Gallo hit his 100th career home run in 2019, becoming the fastest player in American League history to do so in just 377 games. That same season, he appeared in his first All-Star Game as a reserve outfielder for the American League.
Joey Gallo Finds a New Home: Veteran Slugger Signs with White Sox
Gallo earned his first Gold Glove after recording a perfect fielding percentage in right field during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. He was selected for the 2021 All-Star Game and competed in the 2021 Home Run Derby before being traded to the New York Yankees at the deadline. After batting.211/.336/.497 with 145 home runs in seven seasons in Arlington, his performance in the Bronx plummeted considerably. Gallo hit a career-low.159/.282/.339 with the Yankees in 2022 before being moved to the Los Angeles Dodgers. The seasoned utilityman has spent the last two seasons with both the Minnesota Twins and the Washington Nationals.
Gallo compensates for his lack of contact at the plate with patience and power. The 31-year-old has a 14.6% lifetime walk rate, which is nearly double the league average of 8.4%. He has twice been in the top 10 in the American League in terms of walks and is now ranked 38th among active players (497). Despite his 38% career strikeout rate, Gallo has an average of 13.8 at-bats between home runs, placing him second among active players and sixth all-time.
He won two Gold Gloves as an outfielder, but has also played first and third base over his decade-long career. Gallo has long been one of the top defensive outfielders in the majors, having earned a perfect fielding percentage at first base in consecutive seasons. While Joey Gallo works to regain his All-Star form, he may be a low-risk, high-reward deal for the White Sox.
