Gallagher continued his hot hitting, and became the White Sox starting center fielder for the remainder of the season. He batted .303 with five home runs and 31 RBIs as a rookie to be named the Topps Rookie All-Star center fielder in 1988 and finish fifth in American League Rookie of the Year balloting. He also developed into one of the top fielding outfielders in the American League. He led AL center fielders with a .994 fielding percentage and started four double plays in .