Miami Marlins Outfielder Isaac Galloway Realizes His Dream

It took 10 years for Miami Marlins outfielder Isaac Galloway to get his first hit as a Major League player. It’s one of those moments he will remember along a path to the Marlins parent ball club that took what seemed like an eternity.

The Miami Marlins promoted Isaac Galloway along with making other roster moves during the MLB Trade Deadline. After spending the first part of the season in Triple-A New Orleans, his moment in the top of the ninth inning on Tuesday versus the Atlanta Braves.

"As Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald wrote, “Every player on the Marlins bench, recognizing the significance of the moment, stopped what they were doing and moved to the top step of the dugout to watch. For more than 10 years, the outfielder had toiled relentlessly in the minors without so much as one sniff of the majors, wondering if he would ever get there while dreaming that one day he would.”"

From an eighth-round draft pick in 2018 out of California at the age of 18 to the toiling years of minor league play, Galloway has a story to tell that cannot be matched by many. And to make it more special, he felt the moment with emotion as he knew its significance.

"“According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Galloway played the most minor-league games before making his Marlins debut since Brian Daubach finally reached the majors in 1998 after 965 games in the minors,” Spencer wrote."

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That might not have been the kind of history Galloway wanted to be attached to. But it’s one of those feel-good stories that stick with him and the Marlins organization. Manager Don Mattingly was just as excited for his player, knowing how hard he has worked and the struggles that come with grinding year after year.

Galloway admitted there were times when he thought about walking away from the game. He loves baseball, where it has continued to be his passion. He watched many teammates come in and pass him – J.T. Realmuto, Christian Yelich, and Jose Urena. He waited for his chance and now, it finally arrived.

"“Yeah, I thought about it,” Galloway replied later when asked whether he ever thought about calling it quits. “But I’ve loved baseball ever since I was little and this was always my dream. I tried to stick it out for as long as I could. I believe hard work eventually has to pay off.”"

Now, with Galloway on the parent club roster, hopefully, he will remain there past the end of the 2018 season. He’s a special player, one that his former minor league coach Andy Barkett said was one of the reasons the Jacksonville Suns won the Southern League Title.

"“I had him a couple of years,” said Barkett, who is now the assistant hitting coach for the Boston Red Sox. “We don’t win a [Southern League] championship in 2014 without Isaac Galloway. He played lights out in center field and got some big hits.”"

If not for the changes the Marlins made to their roster, there may not have been a dream scenario. There may not have been a late-season call-up. There may never have been this story to be written.

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Thankfully, things have worked out. Galloway has a place in Marlins history and the career minor league star can now say he is part of something bigger. It may not have gone according to plan, but the ending of this story is a great one, nonetheless.

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