Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

MLB prospect Joey Gallo of Las Vegas pays tribute to slain officer

Gallo

AP Photo/Jim Cowsert

Texas Rangers’ Joey Gallo follows through for a double against the Chicago White Sox during the fifth inning of a baseball game, Tuesday, June 2, 2015, in Arlington, Texas.

Las Vegan and MLB prospect Joey Gallo posted a photo tribute on Instagram dedicated to one of the Dallas police officers killed Thursday.

Gallo said he and Nomar Mazara, both players for the Texas Rangers organization, met officer Patrick Zamarripa a couple of months ago in downtown Dallas when the officer asked them for a photo.

“It was definitely a first for me and Nomar to have an officer, a true hero, want to meet us,” Gallo wrote on the Instagram post uploaded about 2 p.m. today.

The officer and the ball players had a 15-minute conversation about sports, Gallo wrote. “He was an avid Ranger fan. But more importantly a great person, and family man,” he said.

Zamarripa, 32, was one of five officers killed Thursday night in a sniper attack during a Black Lives Matter protest in downtown Dallas. He had survived three tours in Iraq, his father told the Washington Post.

“He comes to the United States to protect people here,” his father said. “And they take his life.”

Gallo wrote on Instagram, “I’ll never forget how kind and down to earth he was.”

Gallo, a Bishop Gorman High product, is considered one of the best prospects in baseball. The 22-year-old has 15 home runs in 55 games with Triple-A Round Rock, the Rangers' top minor league affiliate. He played in 36 big-league games last season, blasting six home runs and 14 RBIs in 109 at-bats.

Join the Discussion:

Check this out for a full explanation of our conversion to the LiveFyre commenting system and instructions on how to sign up for an account.

Full comments policy