SURPRISE, Ariz. -- Joey Gallo’s mission is simple: Pick up where he left off last year and keep it going for a full season.

If he does that, the Rangers will take their chances.

“If he keeps on the path he was [on], he’s one of the best offensive players in baseball,” manager Chris Woodward said. “I’m not putting that on him, but I feel he’s locked in to his processes and foundation as to what he can do. He trusts it and believes in it. His talent is second to none.”

That’s why Gallo’s at-bats this spring are must-see theater. He turned into an All-Star last season with the adjustments he made as a hitter, only to have his season cut short by a broken hamate bone in his right hand. Surgery was performed on July 25, and Gallo did not play the rest of the season.

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“After the surgery -- three months -- I’d say October [is] where I started feeling no problems and my grip was fully back,” Gallo said. “I pretty much had the whole offseason to do what I needed to do. I had no limitations. Body feels great. It’s about the swing and getting back into baseball shape. But my body, no problems at all. I am ready to go.”

The challenge is to rediscover what made him so successful last season.

Gallo was better because he kept his swing simple by cutting out so many moving parts. That helped him control the strike zone. He also learned to control his emotions by not beating himself up after a bad game.

He had one walk for every 5.71 plate appearance compared with one every 7.80 plate appearances in 2018. He did that by chasing after a bad pitch just 20.4 % of the time. That was down from 29.2% the year before and below the league average of 28.8% in ’19. Gallo also swung at pitches in the strike zone 65.4% of the time. That was down from 72.4% the previous season, a sign he was being more selective in the strike zone.

The strikeouts were still there -- 114 in 241 at-bats -- but he still finished hitting .253/.389/.598. From 2017-18, he combined for a .208/.322/.516 slash line. His .986 OPS last season was the ninth-best for players with at least 250 plate appearances.

“I’m excited to see how it plays out over the course of a full year,” Gallo said. “For me, I think they are permanent adjustments and they are going to help me be a complete player. I don’t think last year was a fluke.

“I feel normal. We worked on it so much the whole season, when I picked up the bat again, it was back to normal. I was still doing stuff while I was out. I wasn’t playing, but I was still working in the cage doing one-hand drills, tracking balls. I was trying to keep up. I didn’t want to fall too far behind.”

Gallo tried hard in September to get back on the playing field. But the Rangers finally pulled the plug rather than risk further injury or the development of bad habits. Too much progress was made, and now the Rangers wait to see Gallo at his best again.

“There is a lot of if there,” Woodward said. “We are not resting the hopes of our team on Joey Gallo. We have a lot of other pieces. But when I see a guy work the way he’s worked, talk to him and what he values now, it is a recipe for success.

“That’s why I’m convinced, with his talent and with his mindset, the things he’s dedicated to and the way he trains, he’s going to be able to weather adversity, not beat himself up every night. He’s convinced these are the things that make him successful.”