Gallagher made his Major League debut in 2017, slashing .250/.333/.417 in limited appearances with one home run and five RBI. That season, he had 27 plate appearances.
Gallagher was on the Opening Day roster in 2018 due to Perez’s injury, but he didn’t have a tremendous offensive year. While slashing, he saw 69 plate appearances. With one home run and seven RBI, he hit 206/.250/.302.
As the backup catcher, Gallagher will finally get his due amount of opportunities. He’ll almost certainly start at catcher in day games following night games, and he’ll almost certainly start in doubleheaders.
Gallagher isn’t going to be the long-term answer at catcher, but he could be a viable backup option for a few years.
M.J. Melendez should be ready to take over as the Royals’ starting catcher once Perez is ready to call it a career or is moved. Chase Vallot is a young catcher prospect who has also seen time at the plate as a designated hitter.
Last year, Gallagher was “blocked” by Butera, but there’s no reason for him not to make some critical starts in 2019. The Royals don’t need him to light the world on fire, so the 26-year-old won’t.
Perez is under contract until 2022, and Melendez or Vallot should be ready to play in the big leagues by then.
Junis and Gallagher were teammates in Omaha for several years, and their chemistry shone through anytime Junis was pitching with Gallagher at the plate. Junis had a better track record in those starts.
Gallagher hasn’t seen much action in Spring Training thus far. He’s only had four at-bats in two games and has yet to get a hit.
That won’t be an issue unless he continues to struggle offensively in a month, but it’s still only Spring Training. There’s no need to be concerned.
How Tall Is Cam Gallagher?
Cam Gallagher stands at a height of 1.91 m.