Giovanny Gallegos
Giovanny Gallegos opened up the 2016 season in Double-A Trenton coming off a year in which he dominated High-A Tampa (1.86 in 30 games) in his first go around as a full-time reliever.
Even with the enhanced opposition in Jersey, he did not miss a single beat.
In 17 appearances with the Thunder, the 25-year-old surrendered just four runs in 33 innings of work (1.09 ERA) while striking out 14.5 batters per nine innings and surrendered just 20 hits among the 124 batters faced (.171 BAA).
The righty then earned a promotion to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre where he picked up right where he left off as he did following his call-up to Trenton.
Batters at the Triple-A level hit a mere .178 off Gallegos while he struck out 53 batters in 33 innings and recorded two saves — including the final out of the Governors’ Cup.
Interestingly enough, Gallegos maintained a 0.45 ERA vs left-handed batters — a rather unusual statistic for a right-hander — and finished his season strong with a 0.59 WHIP after the all-star break.
He’s not even a top-30 prospect in the organization but was able to earn a spot on the Yankees’ 40-man roster and has given himself a genuine opportunity to get a well-deserved ride on the Scranton Shuttle in 2017.
Gallegos’ packs a fastball that could touch as high as 95 mph along with three off-speed pitches in his arsenal which incorporates a slider that sits in the high-70’s, a curveball and changeup.
With that said, one of the major facets of his game that makes him engaging that he’s a reliever who doesn’t rely on two pitches and finds ways to get you out.
Given how badly he embarrassed hitters at Triple-A last season, it isn’t far-fetched to see Gallegos receiving a call to see how his stockpile of pitches translates to the majors.
