Name: Dave Gallagher
Rank: 181
Position: CF
Years With White Sox: 1988-1990
Dave Gallagher was ready to walk away from baseball when he joined the White Sox as a minor league free agent on December 7, 1987. Gallagher was given a non-roster invite to spring training in 1988, where he sought out manager Jim Fregosi and laid it all out on the line. “I told him, ‘You don’t know me from anybody, but I’d really appreciate it if you could take me to every possible game,” Gallagher said. “I’m towards the end of my run and if I don’t make it, I’m done.’”
Gallagher had a strong spring, and the final roster spot came down to him or Gary Redus. When the White Sox were unable to trade Redus, he made the team and Gallagher was sent to Triple A Vancouver. He hit .336 over the first month of the Triple A season while Lance Johnson hit only .190 with the White Sox, so Gallagher was recalled on May 15. He went 2 for 3 in his first game and hit a game winning home run in the 11th inning the following day. He finished the season with a .303 average in 101 games, committed no errors in the outfield, and finished 5th in the American League Rookie of the Year voting.
Things got contentious between Gallagher and the White Sox in 1989. While Gallagher appeared in every game for the south siders, he battled against team management over his contract. At the end of June, Gallagher announced that he would file a grievance against the White Sox for refusing to negotiate a contract with him. “We did have a meeting, and when I left I had the feeling that something was going to happen,” said Gallagher. “Here we are, late June, almost July, and nothing`s been done.” Gallagher was hitting over .300 at the time, but had a miserable second half, including a clubhouse argument with GM Larry Himes, and ended up with a .266 average for the year.
Given all of that, Gallagher was not expecting to return to the White Sox in 1990, but return he did, albeit to greatly reduced playing time. The White Sox tried to move him prior to the trade deadline, but were unable to strike a deal. 2 days later, he was claimed on waivers by the Orioles, drawing his White Sox career to an end.
Gallagher’s numbers in a White Sox uniform were:
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Our Throwback Thursday feature continues, as we point the wayback machine back to the 1980s and put our focus on the offensive leaders of that decade. As a reminder, I’ve identified 14 games that I attended during this time period, when I would have been ages 5 through 14.