Roomies Gallo, Calhoun keeping it positive

SURPRISE, Ariz. -- Willie Calhoun is a pretty messy guy, according to his roommate, Joey Gallo. The two Rangers outfielders are living together during this year’s Spring Training, and while Gallo is put together, Calhoun is on the opposite end of the spectrum.

“All he does is sleep, I've never met somebody that can sleep like that,” Gallo joked. “His room is a mess. I'm not gonna lie, it's pretty bad. Every time I open his door to his room, it's like he's never used drawers and hangers in his whole life. It's pretty interesting. I'm not that type of person, I'm pretty neat. I think he's sleeping on old clothes right now.”

But Gallo reiterates that Calhoun is a good roommate and said he likes to live with teammates in Spring Training. He likes being able to come home and talk about baseball at the end of the day.

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After the Rangers faced the White Sox in Glendale, Ariz., on Tuesday, the two sat on the couch and talked about their swings, what pitches they saw and how they were feeling at the plate. Gallo thinks that communication is important for him to further develop how he thinks about the game.

“That's huge in baseball,” Gallo said. “Just to have a guy to bounce things off and we just like really holding each other accountable. Anytime we say anything negative, one of us will jump on the other person and be like, ‘Hey, let's go be positive, don't say anything negative.’”

And it’s been a positive Spring Training for Calhoun so far, who is happier than ever to be back in Arizona playing baseball.

Last season was strange for everybody in MLB, but things for Calhoun went south early when he was hit in the mouth by a pitch from Dodgers left-hander Julio Urías in Spring Training before the pandemic shut down the season.

But Calhoun said that’s something he’s trying to leave in the past as he and the Rangers gear up for the 2021 season. He feels mostly normal now and doesn’t bail out of offspeed pitches coming from left-handed pitchers like he did during the regular season.

“I haven’t flinched,” Calhoun said. “I'm not really having that thought in the back of my head anymore, so it's encouraging for me to feel that way. For me to be able to feel that way right now, this early in the spring, I'm actually excited about that.”

Gallo said it’s great to see Calhoun get some of that confidence back. And now, Calhoun’s even closer to being back to form -- both in his performance and in his enjoyment of the game.

“The biggest goal for me is just to go back to being myself,” Calhoun said. “When I'm having fun out there, that's when I'm at my best. So I'm going to go back to doing that and always smile and stuff, because that's where I feel like I'm at my best. Everything else will take care of itself.”

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Everybody, especially Calhoun, came back stronger mentally. Gallo emphasized being in the right mental headspace going into this season, and holding each other accountable is one of the biggest factors to that.

Gallo said from the first time Calhoun stepped into their house in Arizona, he knew it was different. He could even tell early in the offseason that Calhoun had taken some time to recalibrate after the 2020 season. It's been exciting for Gallo and the Rangers to see Calhoun come into camp happy and in better shape than ever.

“As soon as he showed up to Spring Training, he had a smile and he's happy and he can't wait to start playing again,” Gallo said. “That was something in the season that we weren't seeing. That's what we're gonna draw out, and hold each other accountable. We want to show up to the field every day and perform and have fun and keep that going throughout the season.”