Gallo makes surprising announcement: He's switching to pitching

When you've exhausted the Three True Outcomes as a hitter, perhaps the fourth true outcome is becoming a pitcher. That's apparently how Joey Gallo sees things.

Gallo, 31, the longtime slugging outfielder and DH who was released Sunday by the White Sox, said on X that he plans to pursue pitching as the next step in his baseball journey.

"It's been fun outfield," he posted above a video of him throwing out runners on the bases, later clarifying, "Just to be clear, I will be pitching."

As a non-roster invite to White Sox Spring Training, on a Minor League contract, Gallo finished 2-for-20 with 11 strikeouts against one walk and no extra-base hits. Representatives from the Boras Corporation, Gallo’s agent, reached out to the White Sox about the first baseman/outfielder/designated hitter moving to the mound.

“He had expressed interest through his agent if it didn’t work out on the Major League team, that he was going to explore the pitching side,” White Sox assistant general manager Josh Barfield told MLB.com of Gallo’s thought process. “I know it’s something he’s been dabbling around with in between some of the reps here.

“But he asked for his release today. So, we accommodated that.”

The White Sox are in the second year of their latest rebuild and have a plethora of pitching prospects. So, Gallo’s pitching ascension didn’t fit with their organization’s present state.

“Where we are right now, it’s tough to give him that opportunity,” Barfield said. “Yeah, it’s not unheard of, right? You see it with [Rick] Ankiel going the other way and [Tyler] Naquin who was here a couple of years ago, he just signed as a pitcher too.”

Sergio Santos, who managed the White Sox Spring Breakout team Sunday afternoon and will manage Triple-A Charlotte during the 2025 season, began his career as an infielder before working into the White Sox closer’s role in 2011. Santos made 26 Minor League mound appearances across four teams in ‘09 before posting a 2.96 ERA in 56 games for the White Sox in ‘10.

Gallo, a two-time All-Star, has played parts of 10 seasons with the Rangers, Yankees, Dodgers, Twins and Nationals. He has a career slash line of .194/.319/.456 to go with 208 homers and a 106 OPS+.

A change to pitcher might not be a bad idea, as Gallo ranked as one of baseball's top outfield arms as recently as 2022, when he registered arm strength in MLB's 90th percentile. A year earlier, Gallo's arm ranked in the 95th percentile, averaging nearly 94 mph on his throws. He's never made an appearance on the mound in the big leagues, but as many baserunners can attest, it might not be wise to underestimate his right arm.

Gallo would be the third recent big leaguer to venture into pitching as a way to stay in the game. Last season, longtime utility man Brett Phillips said he would try to make a comeback on the mound and signed a Minor League deal with the Yankees. Former outfielder Tyler Naquin, an eight-year veteran, also recently announced a similar switch, signing a Minor League deal with the Guardians as a pitcher.

Naquin played five games with the White Sox in ‘23. Both Gallo and Phillips (‘24) were in big league camp with the White Sox at one point.

“For us … talking to Joey this morning, [we] just came to a mutual agreement that [releasing him] was the best thing,” White Sox manager Will Venable said. “Wish him luck as he starts a new chapter as a pitcher and appreciate his dedication and his effort to the White Sox while he was here.”