There was a time in baseball when striking out used to be the cardinal sin of hitting. Fans shed their disappointment, coaches shouted, and players walked back to the dugout with their heads down. But for Joey Gallo, it’s more than just a strikeout, as he is trying to make his way back to the majors as a pitcher. But his recent video of pitching isn’t receiving the welcome that he expected from the fans.

Joey Gallo remains a free agent after he was released by the Chicago White Sox during spring training. Soon after announcing his return as a pitcher, the first video of pitching by the former slugger for the Yankees, Dodgers, and Rangers quickly grabbed attention.

But it wasn’t praise. It was pure criticism – fans lambasted him for his pitching.

Well, Joey Gallo has hit 208 home runs in his MLB career and played in different positions, be it as a first baseman, third baseman, or even as an outfielder. But his sudden choice to try to get back as a pitcher hasn’t been well-received by the fans.

Although he had pitching experience of throwing fastballs up to 94 mph in his high school days, his pitching arsenal has changed. A flashy and consistent pitch is all he’s trying to do. But fans were just NOT having it, trolling him: “Fire Up LinkedIn.” He looked slow, and his pitches were not hitting the strike zone perfectly.

But let’s not forget one thing: Gallo is still trying to get back into the groove, making his way into the big-league field in a whole new way.

After completing ten seasons as a hitter, Joey Gallo’s decision comes at a point where he found himself with an average of .194. Throughout his career, his lack of contact at the dish wasn’t unknown to many, which led to him being cut by the White Sox. However, his arm ranked in the 95 percentile, and being one of the top outfield arms, the change in position to pitching might not be a bad idea either, right?

But going by the way fans are tearing him apart for not showing positive signs of pitching, Gallo may as well turn his back and get to his usual position rather than trying something new. But what are the exact words that might force Joey Gallo to do so?

Joey Gallo’s video of pitching draws flak from the fans

There’s something special about fans. Their loyalty and sarcasm come hand in hand.

One comment read, “No radar stats and 2 of 4 out of the zone? Bro better fire up the LinkedIn,” pointing out a couple of pitches that were thrown outside the strike zone. And that led them to motivate Gallo to create a LinkedIn profile and apply for another job! You know how people say, don’t quit your day job, for this, just saying the opposite of it seems enough. Like he’s not good at what he does, so fans think he should look for something else. Not baseball. OOPS!

“He’s throwing low 80s.” And that’s completely true. But going by the way fans are tearing him apart for not showing positive signs of pitching, Gallo may well turn his back and get to his usual position rather than trying something new. There was a time when the 6-foot-5 star used to throw fastballs that even peaked up to 94 mph, which is missing, as per the video. But should we really judge from a practice session?

Then comes more criticism: “I know I don’t know s—, but I’m pretty sure his arm and body are out of sync. Lose a lot of velo doing that.“ Be it the lack of practice as a pitcher or anything else, it is a concern. Gallo has been a batter for most of his career, so restarting himself as a pitcher might be the reason why he has lost a lot of velocity while throwing pitches.

“I’m sorry, what? I just remember him hitting dingers for the Rangers.” A comment came from an X user, who recalls watching him as a batter. Joey Gallo’s career spanned 10 seasons with different teams, including the Rangers and Yankees. Despite having a moderate .194 average, Gallo managed 557 hits along with posting 2018 home runs with 453 RBIs and 463 runs.

While trying a new position is never a bad thing in sports, coming after playing as a hitter for most of his career may affect his ability to throw pitches perfectly. And it seemed a possibility from the video. While the frustration of fans is purely based on his pitching performance, another X user came with a sensible comment: “Well, he certainly knows how to strike out well enough. Hopefully that translates well to his pitching career.”

Well, all we can hope is that we see the best of him in his new role while proving everyone wrong who criticized him for his position change. That only his appearance will say…