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Fantasy Baseball 2016: Rookie Sleepers At Each Position

By Scott Dillon

Mar 21, 2016; Jupiter, FL, USA; St. Louis Cardinals left fielder Jeremy Hazelbaker (91) is congratulated after hitting a two run home run against the Boston Red Sox during the game at Roger Dean Stadium. The Red Sox defeated the Cardinals 4-3. Mandatory Credit: Scott Rovak-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 21, 2016; Jupiter, FL, USA; St. Louis Cardinals left fielder Jeremy Hazelbaker (91) is congratulated after hitting a two run home run against the Boston Red Sox during the game at Roger Dean Stadium. The Red Sox defeated the Cardinals 4-3. Mandatory Credit: Scott Rovak-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mar 11, 2016; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Texas Rangers left fielder Joey Gallo (13) in the first inning during a spring training game against the Milwaukee Brewers at Maryvale Baseball Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 11, 2016; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Texas Rangers left fielder Joey Gallo (13) in the first inning during a spring training game against the Milwaukee Brewers at Maryvale Baseball Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports /

Third Base: Joey Gallo – ADP: Undrafted

Joey Gallo has a very impressive body of work in the Minor Leagues and he may be able to play his way onto the opening day roster.

He’s leading the Rangers in Spring Training home runs and is currently slashing .286/.409/.607. He does have nine strikeouts across his 28 at-bats but that’s always going to be a big part of his game.

In his minor league career, Gallo has a slash line of .258/.369/.602 in 1,377 at-bats. He’s also hit 127 home runs, 73 doubles, and ten triples in that time giving him an extra-base hit in every 6.5 at-bats.

What’s more impressive is that if you remove his 568 strikeouts, he gets an extra-base hit every 3.8 at-bats. In fact, 59 percent of his hits go for extra bases which is pretty appealing.

If he were to cut his strikeout rate be even five percent his numbers would be even more impressive. While his batting average suffered upon promotion to the Rangers last season, he continued to hit for extra bases. He recorded an extra-base hit in every tenth at-bat and 45 percent of his hits went for more than one bag.

He’s blocked at both third base and in left field by Adrian Beltre and Ian Desmond respectively, but an injury or a need for a regular backup could be his ticket. He may be worth stashing on draft day.

Next: Has Jamaal Charles Lost a Step?

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