This Stat Proves Joey Gallo is Basically the New Mark McGwire

In light of ESPN's "Long Gone Summer" documentary on Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa having aired over the weekend, there has been much talk about the former's batting prowess. McGwire boasts one of the rarest feats in all of baseball, one which he accomplished twice and has only occurred three times since: hitting more home runs in a season than singles.

However, one stat proves that Mark McGwire is not without company in his strange hitting accomplishments, and that there is a modern day McGwire in the MLB.

Mark McGwire is one of three baseball players in MLB history to have at least one qualified season where they finished with more home runs than singles on the stat sheet. In 1998, he hit 70 homers and 61 singles, following up in '99 with 58 singles and 65 dingers.. Joining him in this strange distinction is arguably his most fitting active doppelganger, Joey Gallo, outfielder and first and third baseman for the Texas Rangers.

Barry Bonds has "only" done it once.

In the 2017 and 2018 respectively, Joey Gallo became the fourth player in baseball history to record more home runs than singles in a qualified season, and the second to do so in back-to-back years. The Rangers outfielder had 41 home runs and 32 singles in the 2017 season and 40 home runs and 38 singles in the 2018 season.

To accomplish such a feat, especially in only his third and fourth seasons in the majors, Joey Gallo surely found some way to channel some Big Mac energy. Gallo certainly shares an "all-or-nothing" home run power that McGwire emphasized, having produced 110 home runs in comparison to 105 singles in his career thus far.

Mark McGwire could still brag today about being one of the league's top hitters in history given his all-time best at bats per home run ratio of 10.6, but perhaps it won't be too long before a certain Ranger joins him.