Township Grad Cam Gallagher Gets More Baseball Education in Dominican Republic

Daily Clips

December 25, 2017 caused by the local water —not because he drank it (he NATIONAL didn't), but because he ate vegetables that were washed in it.

All things considered, though, he calls his Dominican stay a Township grad Cam Gallagher gets positive experience. more baseball education in Dominican "Going into it, I thought, 'Oh, this will be kind of like the Republic Instructional league,''' he said. "It was definitely an eye- December 24, 2017 By Jeff Young/Lancaster Online opener. You can feel the emotion from the Dominican http://lancasteronline.com/sports/baseball/mlb/township- players and fans. It really drove me to try to win, and I got grad-cam-gallagher-gets-more-baseball-education-in- caught up in the emotion, too.'' dominican/article_02efcab6-e8c4-11e7-962a- 93b6422c4349.html Having adjusted to the more intense, active atmosphere could MLB TRANSACTIONS prove a valuable skill for Gallagher, who might face a new December 25, 2017 •.CBSSports.com kind of mental challenge in 2018. http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/transactions His first taste of the show was both sweet and encouraging. Summoned to fill in for injured All-Star Salvador Perez on NATIONAL Aug. 6, Gallagher hit .250 in 13 games (24 at-bats) with a grand slam in a victory over Oakland Aug. 14.

Township grad Cam Gallagher gets He also continued to build on his reputation for superior more baseball education in Dominican defense, one that earned him league honors for Double-A Republic Northwest Arkansas in 2016. December 24, 2017 By Jeff Young/Lancaster Online Now the task is to get more than a foot in the door. His http://lancasteronline.com/sports/baseball/mlb/township- competition includes not only Perez, a five-time All-Star who grad-cam-gallagher-gets-more-baseball-education-in- is just 27, but also backup Drew Butera, 34, an eight-year dominican/article_02efcab6-e8c4-11e7-962a- veteran. 93b6422c4349.html The Royals, reportedly in a rebuilding mode, could trade one Cam Gallagher's offseason was late in arriving, not that he of their catchers, or they may stand pat, preferring to look minded the extra work. In fact, he enjoyed it — for the most harder at other positions. part, anyway. More on that later. Moving forward You know your career is on the upswing when more work is not only fun, but also educational. And so it has been for Whatever happens, Gallagher, 25, has been around too long Gallagher, the Manheim Township graduate and aspiring to assume anything except the importance of patience and catcher for the Kansas City Royals. focusing on his own job in such a fluid situation.

After a sixth pro season, highlighted in August by his major- "You see a lot of guys in Triple-A, they're really close to the league debut and a .292 batting average for Triple-A Omaha, big leagues and they're a little salty, just because they think Gallagher's employer asked him to log a few more at-bats in they deserve to be there,'' he said. "If you think you deserve the Dominican Republic winter league. to be there, and you're not doing well, it's just a little added pressure. He spent a month with Licey, hitting .288 in 15 games before returning home to Lancaster County just before “I feel like that's when everything snowballs, and you kind of Thanksgiving. take steps backward.''

It was a cultural experience he likely won't forget, one that That's why Gallagher's plan is to focus on what he can also gave him a new slant on his profession. control and work harder to prove his worth, whether to the Royals or another club. "I would kind of almost compare it to international soccer, with how they're yelling at the games,'' he said last week. For now, that means offseason workouts at home, with "They're singing, and people are dancing. … It's a big advice from the Kansas City training staff. atmosphere change compared to the U.S., where you sit there with your family and have a hot dog and watch the game.'' But the calendar turns quickly. In another month he'll be headed back to Kansas City for FanFest activities, before Gallagher also learned that Dominican fans aren't shy about moving on to Arizona for spring training. offering in-game player evaluations. Happy as he is to be at home with his family, his mind "Even if it's in Spanish,'' he said, "you can pretty much make doesn't stray far from baseball. out what they're trying to say. It was really cool. I really enjoyed it.'' "I want to get back out there and get back to it,'' he said, sounding like a man anxious to put new lessons to practical Not all fun use.

There was one drawback. Gallagher tried to play through a MLB TRANSACTIONS stomach ailment, losing 12 pounds and making two hospital December 25, 2017 •.CBSSports.com visits while missing several games. He said it likely was http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/transactions NONE