Over the past several years the Kansas City Royals have accumulated one of the most impressive collections of young talent in all of baseball. 2011 saw the debut of players like Eric Hosmer and Mike Moustakas; while the Royals made a splash by selecting high school phenom Bubba Starling in the first round of the draft. The team also believes they found another gem in their second round selection, catcher Cameron Gallagher.
Gallagher comes from a baseball family. His father Glenn pitched for four seasons in the minors in the 1980’s and his brother Austin has played in the Los Angeles Dodgers system since 2007. Weaned on the family business, Cameron developed into a star at Manheim Township High School in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. In particular, his reputation was built on his advanced bat, and that only became more coveted after he was shifted to the catcher position late in his career. With good hitting catchers in such short supply, it is little wonder that the Royal jumped on Gallagher with the 65th overall pick in the 2011 MLB draft.
Being such a novice to catching, combined with his youth, Gallagher will be moved carefully through the Kansas City system. He signed in time to get into some 2011 games, appearing in 28 contests between instructional and the Rookie League team. He hit a combined .157, with 2 home runs and 9 RBI. More information on his statistics is available here.
Last year was all about getting Gallagher some game experience. The Royals will certainly expect him to take another step forward in 2012; getting used to the rigors of a full season and the catcher position. With his athleticism and ability to hit, Gallagher has a definite future in the game, and both he and the Royals hope that is behind the plate.
Baseball fans should make sure to not sleep on Gallagher, as he is poised to become one of the next members of Kansas City’s stable of super prospects. You can find out more about this great young player by checking out our recent interview. Of course you should also give him a follow on Twitter, so you can keep up on his progress as he enters the 2012 season.
Cameron Gallagher Interview:
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Filed under: Down and Dirty - Interviews, On the Farm - Prospects | Tagged: Cam Gallagher, Kansas City Royals, Prospects | 3 Comments »
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