It was an ordinary day. Reading in my morning newspaper about a young man named Cam Gallagher who had been a backup catcher for the Philadelphia Phillies. Cam had spent nine weeks on the restricted list before he was finally released. The 31-year-old catcher spoke in the past tense of his career in a recent telephone call with the Lancaster Newspaper. He did leave the door open a crack, but only a crack. He has spent 13 years in the pro ranks and parts of seven in the big leagues. He now speaks of a future that includes marriage in November with hopes of a role in baseball as a coach or instructor. "I wouldn't say I'm 100% done playing baseball, but I think at this point it's kind of unlikely that I would have a comeback." Cam was a second-round pick of the Kansas City Royals in 2011. He is the son of Glenn Gallagher, whom I had as a student when he was in high school. Glenn, and younger brother Austin, both fashioned pro careers after going in the third round of their respective drafts....Toronto in 1981 in Glenn's case, and the Dodgers in 2007 in Austin's case. Cam is the only member of his family to reach the majors, hitting .211 with seven homers and 46 RBIs while appearing in 227 games over his seven seasons...six with the Royals and the other one with Cleveland. Designated for assignment by the Guardians in November 2023, he was signed to a minor-league deal buy the Phillies on Feb. 25 of this year and invited to major-league camp. Less than a month later, he was assigned to minor-league camp. He declined to report and was placed on the restricted list, where teams can stash a player who according to baseball-reference.com has left the club "without a valid reason" or one who "has announced his intention to retire but is still of an age or level of skill that could allow him to return to pro ball in the future." Players also end up there if they are "unavailable to play for non-baseball reasons or if they run afoul of the law. Salaries are withheld from those consigned to this purgatory, but the club retains their rights. And, while the Phillies could have held him beyond Saturday, when the contract was up, they severed ties instead. He came to camp with the Phillies hoping to compete with Garrett Stubbs for the backup role behind J.T. Realmuto. If you have been following the Phillies, by now you know that Garrett has filled the back-up roll for the team. "I just wasn't ready with going there and kind of being a filler. He was hoping the team would release him in late March so he might have an opportunity too latch on elsewhere. Didn't happen! He than was hoping to be released in late March so he might be able to latch on elsewhere. As of now, the Phillies do not have any official comment on Gallagher's situation. In the meantime, Gallagher has returned to his home in Prosper, Texas, to "kind of take a reset." He did get to go to the beach for the first time since 2010, in the summertime. He holds no grudge, since he realizes their job is to win a World Series. He and his fiancee, Bree Edwards have planned a wedding for Nov. 16, in Playa Del Carmen. Beyond that, he plans to head down a path similar to that of his dad, who for years has run a baseball school in East Petersburg, PA, while also doing some coaching locally. "I think I have a lot to offer, a lot to give, whether that's coaching high school kids, whether it's coaching collegiately or maybe coaching professionally down the line. It's just that I'm not in any rush to make a decision right now." He has a few choices...but, which way will he turn? It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.
PS - If you follow professional baseball, you may know that J.T. Realmuto is scheduled for some repair work on his right knee. So, the Phillies will be in need of another catcher for a few weeks. Perhaps they might consider Cam for that position. I'd love to see Cam on TV, playing for my favorite team...The Phillies. Time will tell!
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| Cam Gallagher. |
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