Washington Nationals Veteran Falls Outside of Top 25 in First Base Power Rankings

The Washington Nationals have a solid roster foundation with their young core, but the veterans around them are in need of an improvement.

Sep 21, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Washington Nationals first baseman Joey Gallo (24) celebrates in the dugout after he hits a three run home run against the Chicago Cubs during the sixth inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images / Matt Marton-Imagn Images

It has been quite some time since Joey Gallo was looked at as one of the most feared hitters in baseball, but that did not stop the Washington Nationals from signing the veteran to help fill out their roster for 2024.

Gallo has been the quintessential "three true outcomes" hitter throughout his career, and there was a time, when healthy, he was able to put up 40 or more home runs a year every year.

Those days are long gone, even though he will only be 31 on his next birthday (November 19th, happy early birthday Joseph), Gallo has been bouncing around the league of late, playing on five different teams over the last four seasons.

Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report released his final first baseman power rankings of 2024 this week and landing just outside of the top 25 as an honorable mention was Gallo.

The Nationals brought the slugger in to be a veteran presence and fill a hole in their lineup as they continue to climb out of their rebuild, but as has been the case for the majority of his career, injuries plagued Gallo once again, and his 2024 campaign was much shorter than everyone else's.

2024 also saw Gallo produce some of the worst numbers of his career when he was on the field, and it was the worst of any season in which he had 100 or more plate appearances.

Gallo batted .161/.277/.336 this year with 10 home runs, 27 RBI, and a 74 OPS+ across 260 plate appearances in 76 games.

For his career, Gallo has batted .194/.319/.456 with 208 home runs, 453 RBI, and a 106 OPS+ across 3,403 plate appearances in 939 games.

Defensively, Gallo has always been a formidable fielder, in the outfield, and this year at first base, with a career total of three Outs Above Average per Baseball Savant, and three Outs Above Average at first this year.

Gallo's defensive prowess has led to two Gold Glove Awards in his career, both coming for his ability in the outfield where he possessed one of the strongest arms in the game and would mow down runners trying to take an extra base with ease.

With Gallo only approaching 31, it is hard to believe that this will be the end of his career, even as a free agent that has seen his ability decline for quite some time.

That could be the case, however, but the most likely outcome will see Gallo land a minor league deal on a non-contending team somewhere to continue his Major League career.