Joey Gallo laughed.
Moments after learning he made his second All-Star team, along with teammates Adolis Garcia and Kyle Gibson, Gallo was thinking of a potential reaction from a certain segment of fans.
“I’m kind of getting ready for the ‘Wow, he doesn’t have a high average. How the hell did he make the All-Star Game?’ crowd to come, because I know it’s going to come,” he said.
But Gallo, who has been on a tear recently and earned a second nod (his first was in 2019) the hard way — on his performance, not vote totals. Garcia, the 28-year-old rookie who was designated for assignment by the Cardinals earlier this year, finished third in the outfield vote totals. He also has All-Star numbers.
Both have 20 home runs, which is tied for seventh most in the majors before Monday’s series opener against the Detroit Tigers at Globe Life Field.
Garcia’s 58 RBIs are sixth best in the American League. Gallo’s .389 on-base percentage is 10th best in the majors. They’re the first two Rangers outfielders elected to an All-Star team since Josh Hamilton and Nelson Cruz in 2009.
Gibson, who is in his ninth big league season, is 6-0 and leads the AL with a 1.98 ERA. The news was emotional for all three.
“It’s hard to put into words,” Gibson said. “There are so many people to thank who have helped me along this journey. I got choked up a little bit. It takes hold of you a little bit.”
For Gibson, 33, the reward follows eight previous seasons in the majors when an All-Star team was never on the radar. Since a season-opening debut in which he allowed five earned runs in an aborted 1/3 inning, he has been phenomenal. In his next 95 1/3 innings, Gibson has allowed just 16 earned runs.
Gibson was emotional, in part, because of the help he’s received throughout his career from teammates, coaches, trainers, and family.
“They’ve all played a huge part in this,” he said. “You’re always hoping that it works out for you and this year so far it has. You realize that there’s so much more to this than just myself standing out there throwing a baseball every five days. There are so many other guys who have a hand in it.”
Gallo relishes a second All-Star trip as some level of validation.
“To do it a second time is special. It means you had a lot of success over a longer period of time,” he said. “I didn’t just have one good year.”
But he’s even happier for Garcia.
“If I had to pick, I would have let him go,” Gallo said. “That’s incredible. He works so hard, he cares so much. That’s the one guy the whole team was pulling for.”
Gallo said he hasn’t been approached by the league about competing in the Home Run Derby contest at Coors Field in Denver. The All-Star Game is scheduled for July 13.
Gallo’s honor also validates the changing dynamics of the game, or at least how certain statistics are perceived. Gallo thinks it’s good for the game that a player such as he, who was hitting .233 entering Monday’s game, is rewarded for his overall game, including defense and base running.
“It almost shows the change in the game [that] you don’t have to hit .300 or .280, .270 to be a really good player, an All-Star player,” he said. “It’s one stat. I think it’s kind of cool for the game.
“It’s showing there’s different ways to have production, there’s different ways to be a good player and make an All-Star team. I think that’s exciting for the game.”