SURPRISE, Ariz. _ Nothing has changed this spring from the last or from the one before that. And possibly even the one before that.
Joey Gallo's batting practice is the most exciting thing in Surprise, Ariz.
Not even the life-changing new bridge freeing up Bell Road at Grand Avenue can match what Gallo is capable of doing to BP fastballs on any given day.
It's the elevated big league heaters and sliders in the dirt that have given the slugger problems. So have Adrian Beltre, Mitch Moreland and Mike Napoli, veterans who have occupied the positions Gallo could play every day.
The swings and misses and the time in the minors the past two seasons after his 2015 major league debut have led many to wonder if Gallo is ever going to play every day. In the age of instant gratification, more have started to cast doubt on his future.
That's quite a thing to say about a player who only three months ago turned 23.
The Rangers aren't saying it. They know from past experiences that players develop at their own pace, and Gallo now understands that, too.
"As soon as you want to get to the big leagues you want to be a star, but that's for the rare few guys," Gallo said. "For power hitters and people who have a swing like me or can hit the ball like me, it does take a little longer. That makes me feel better. Most power hitters start to figure it out when they're 25 or 26. I feel like I'm a little ahead of that, but it's going to take a little while."
This season could be when Gallo starts to get a grasp on what will make him successful. He has an opportunity to make the Opening Day roster, but the most likely scenario has him starting out at Triple-A Round Rock and performing well enough over the first few months to play his way into the Rangers' lineup.
Yes, they want Shin-Soo Choo to be the designated hitter and Napoli to be the first baseman and Jurickson Profar to get regular at-bats at a variety of positions. But the Rangers believe Gallo is on the verge of a big league breakout, and they will find a spot for him.
To force that decision, though, Gallo needs to be more consistent with his approach and to learn how pitchers want to attack him.
When he has done that at past levels, he has been a productive player. That includes the first half of 2015, when the Rangers called him up June 1 from Double A Frisco to fill in for the injured Beltre, and even last season in the first half at Round Rock.
But Gallo admits that he has never gone a full season locked into one approach at the plate. Hitting coach Anthony Iapoce said the key for any hitter is buying into one approach and not straying from it.
To every hitter that means not giving into the pitcher's pitch until he has two strikes against him, and then fouling off those tough pitches until the pitcher comes to him.
It's not easy to get to that point. Even Mickey Mantle and Mike Trout had to be sent down. It happened to Rougned Odor in 2015.
Nelson Cruz was designated for assignment and unclaimed in 2008 before he started to become an All-Star for the Rangers, who traded away Chris Davis in 2011 and saw him blossom with Baltimore.
"That's why they call it a development process," Rangers manager Jeff Banister said. "We know what Joey's capabilities are. We've seen them. It's more the consistency of competing, emotionally and physically. When you watch successful players and their process, they stick to a routine. Then, it's just relax and go out and play the game of baseball.
"We don't get to choose others' rate of growth and success. It's theirs. They doesn't always match up to the external expectations. We get anxious, but we all kind of just need to understand that."
Gallo went only 1 for 25 (.040) in his brief Rangers stints in 2016. The one was a massive opposite-field home run, and 19 of the 24 outs were via strikeout.
Some of those Ks can be eliminated, but by no means is Gallo not going to strike out in bunches. To that end, he spoke with childhood friend Kris Bryant, the National League MVP, on how Bryant was able to click so quickly in his career.
Bryant's advice to Gallo was to learn the opposing pitchers and teams and how they will go after him.
"For me, that's the key," said Gallo, who has 152 homers in 485 games in the minors. "I start to see these guys over and over again, you start to see how their pitches move and their timing, and you start figuring things out from there. I'm still learning a lot and trying to figure out what these teams do to me."
Once he figures that out, he can have more success and gain the confidence it takes to stick to one approach and believe in it even during slumps. A big-bodied player with a big swing doesn't need to be constantly tweaking his mechanics or thought process.
That's all part of the development process. Each player's is different and so is the time it takes him to become a finished product.
Gallo's has taken a little longer than many would have liked, and even he would have liked, but he's also knows that his time will eventually come.
"It sucks because to some people I'm 23 years old and I'm already a bust and can't play in the big leagues," Gallo said. "I'm 23. I'd be one year out of college if I went to college. That's why I try not to worry about any of that. I used to get caught up in what people thought, if they believed in me or not.
"People are going to believe what they want. You just have to believe in yourself and go out and play the way you play every day, and things will start falling into place."
