Catching up with Dave Gallagher

Dave Gallagher was a journeyman outfielder who spent nine seasons in the Major Leagues, including part of the 1995 season with the Phillies.

• Phillies alumni

The word “journey” is putting it mildly when describing his career in professional baseball. The Trenton, N.J., native was originally drafted in January 1980 by Oakland, but chose not to sign. Back in those days, there were two Drafts per year, and Gallagher was again selected in June in the first round by Cleveland.

Upon signing with the Indians, he was sent to Batavia, N.Y., to begin his career. Five stops and nearly eight years later, he finally made his big league debut in 1987. However, his stay didn’t last long, as he hit .111 over 15 games in his rookie season.

“I was terrible,” he said.

So, it was back to Triple-A, where he soon was traded to the Mariners and sent to Calgary of the Pacific Coast League.

“While in Calgary, I saw three outfielders get promoted to the show,” Gallagher said. “None of them were me. I decided to target mid-August as my personal deadline. If I wasn’t promoted by then, I was going back home to New Jersey and getting on with my life.”

Well, the day arrived, and with no promotion to Seattle, he left the team and returned home. When he got back, he dabbled in coaching at nearby Rider College, now known as Rider University.

One day, the Rider team went to a camp where Gallagher happened to be spotted by a White Sox scout who inquired where he was planning to play the following season.

“I told him that I wasn’t playing any longer and that [I] had left the club during the previous season,” Gallagher said.

The scout offered him a Triple-A job, which Gallagher initially turned down. After some persistence, the scout convinced him to at least speak to the farm director. After talking it over with his wife, he agreed to meet with the White Sox executive. He was offered a Triple-A contract with an invitation to Major League camp.

At that point, Jim Fregosi was managing the White Sox. On the very first day, the general manager informed all the non-roster invitees that they were signed just as inventory and had little chance to make the club.

“I was furious,” Gallagher recalled. “After [batting practice] I went in to talk to Fregosi. I asked him to take me on all the Spring Training road trips and to please get me all the exposure that he could. Fregosi replied that he couldn’t make such a promise and said that everyone wants that. I said, ‘Yeah, but not everyone asks.’”

Fregosi was taken aback by Gallagher, but promised to give him a close look. Gallagher had a great spring. Near the end, Fregosi told him that the team was trying to make a trade. If they could swing the deal, he would make the club. If not, he asked him to go to Triple-A and that he’d get him up to the Majors soon. True to Fregosi’s word, Gallagher was indeed recalled early in 1988 and hit .303 that season.

This was the continuation of a Major League career that later included stops with the Orioles, Angels (twice), Mets, Braves and Phillies. Gallagher was signed by the Phillies in 1995 when general manager Lee Thomas plucked him out of a Spring Training camp in Homestead, Fla., for unsigned MLB players.

When Gallagher reported to Clearwater this writer, the Phillies’ clubhouse manager escorted him to his new locker, which by request was right next to Darren Daulton. It turns out that the two had an on-field incident years prior when both were playing in Double-A in the Eastern League. While batting, Gallagher was hit by a retaliatory pitch. He and Daulton got into a brawl at home plate. Gallagher, the future Eastern League batting champion, suffered a broken hand when hit with the pitch and had to miss seven weeks.

When his Buffalo team came to Reading later in the season, he walked in the Reading clubhouse and asked to speak with Daulton and manager Bill Dancy to discuss the incident. It turns out that Daulton gained newfound respect for Gallagher after that, hence the reason he insisted that Gallagher’s locker be right next to his.

The 1995 season turned out to be Gallagher’s final season. He was dealt back to the Angels after the Trade Deadline for outfielder Kevin Flora.

Following his retirement as an active player, Gallagher served as a coach for the Trenton Thunder for two seasons. From there, he coached high school baseball for one season before becoming head coach at Mercer County Community College, where had once been a student.

He also opened the Dave Gallagher Baseball Academy, which he owned and operated for many years. Additionally, he has served as a resource for the MLB/MLBPA Rookie Development program for nearly 30 years, helping mentor baseball’s top prospects. He is also a senior advisor for Centercourt Baseball, an organization for developing amateur baseball players in New Jersey.

These days he resides in Cape May, N.J., with his wife Jayne. They have five grown children and three grandchildren. Most of the time he can be found shark fishing in the bay or helping his wife with her dog grooming business.

It’s been great catching up with former Phillies outfielder, No. 17, Dave Gallagher.