3 former Twins struggling mightily during 2024 spring training
By Josh Hill
Joey Gallo
Last year was a rough one for Joey Gallo, and it seems things haven’t gotten much better for him.
Gallo signed a one-year, $5 million deal with the Washington Nationals after the Twins decided to move on this winter. He got off to a decent start after signing with Minnesota in December 2022, but things quickly fell off and he was ultimately left off the postseason roster.
He started the year on the right track, with Gallo hitting three home runs in his first four games and finishing April slashing .304/.360/.870 but that’s pretty much where he maxed out. Aside from getting some sweet revenge on the New York Yankees, Gallo struggled from May onward and never hit above .200 from the beginning of June through the end of the season.
Gallo’s hot start was halted by an injury in the Twins’ first home stand of the season, something that resulted in Edouard Julien getting called up. That will be his lasting legacy with Minnesota and it seems things have not gone much better since joining the Nationals this offseason.
So far in Spring Training Gallo is slashing .150/.190/.200 in seven games and 20 at-bats. Washington gave him a $5 million contract that already seems like a mistake, as the struggles Gallo suffered through in Minnesota don’t seem to have been fixed in the time since.