Rangers draft pick at #39 -- Joey Gallo

Joey Gallo scouting report -- Joey Gallo is a 6'5", 220 lb. lefty hitting third baseman out of Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas, Nevada. Gallo impressed the draft evaluators, ranking #23 on Keith Law's list and #33 on Baseball America's list, with ESPN saying Gallo would have been a potential top 10 pick as a pitcher if he'd chosen to focus on pitching rather than hitting.

Gallo is, like Rangers first round pick Lewis Brinson, a guy with some impressive tools and questions about his hit tool. Gallo has huge power, with ESPN giving him an 80 power grade, as well as a terrific arm, and those two tools are going to be his calling card going forward. Gallo, according to BA, had the 10th longest home run in Petco Park history last summer in a showcase game when he was hitting with wood. However, there are questions about whether he has the range to stay at third base, and could end up in right field or at first base in the future. There are also big questions about his hit tool, and whether he'll make enough contact to be able to utilize his hit tool.

Gallo is, like Brinson, a guy with a ton of upside, but with a lot of questions about whether he'll hit enough to actualize the upside potential. He has elite power, but as we've seen before with Chris Davis -- a player with a very similar skill set to Gallo -- if you can't make contact regularly, you're not going to be able to utilize the power tool.

The fallback with Gallo, if his hit tool doesn't develop, is that he could end up returning to the mound. Gallo reportedly has gotten his fastball up to 98 mph, and though he is very raw, he could potentially end up having a future as a pitcher if he doesn't pan out as a position player.