“There were a few factors that probably led to Joey falling to us,” says Guggiana, a former left-handed-hitting corner bat who spent four years in the Texas farm system before moving into what is now a 24-year career scouting for the organization. The Rangers, based on area scout Todd Guggiana’s reports, were not among them. Still others lost conviction on the Las Vegas product, a dangerous mindset in which to invest seven figures. Others viewed him primarily as a pitching prospect but preferred other arms. Some teams weren’t prepared to meet the rumored price tag to steer Gallo away from his commitment to play for LSU. Among those 27 teams was Texas, which selected Florida high school outfielder Lewis Brinson 29th overall, with Gallo still on the board. Instead, 27 different teams passed on him (three times each, in fact, by Boston, St. Most mock drafts at the time had Gallo coming off the board somewhere in the tier just after the top 10 picks.
you know, you dream of getting drafted, you want to be first.”
“I was pissed when I got drafted 39th,” says the 25-year-old, who seven years later needs no reminder on which pick his name was finally attached to.
