Olympian John Gall has been elected president of USA Baseball, the organization announced on Thursday. He succeeds Mike Haski, who has served in the position since 2001.
"I am humbled and privileged to take on the role of president on the USA Baseball Board of Directors," Gall said. "For many years, countless individuals, including outgoing President Mike Gaski, have been exceptional stewards for USA Baseball. These remarkable leaders have developed an uncommon culture of respect, trust, and vision that I am truly proud to associate with. Simply put, I am grateful for the opportunity to serve the game of baseball for such a first-class organization."
"It was an honour to serve USA Baseball and to work with so many talented athletes, coaches, and administrators," Gaski said. "While USA Baseball has accomplished a great deal on and off the field over these last 20-plus years, I am certain that the future is even brighter for this dynamic organisation."
A native of Palo Alto, California, Gall played collegiate baseball at Stanford University, making the US Collegiate National Team roster for consecutive summers (1998, 1999). The St. Louis Cardinals selected him in the 11th round of the Major League Baseball (MLB) 2000 Draft.
Gall appeared in 30 MLB games for the Cardinals between the 2005 and 2006 seasons. He also played part of the 2006 season for the Lotte Giants of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) league. While at Triple-A with the Florida Marlins, he was selected to represent the United States at the Beijing 2008 Olympics where USA won the bronze medal.
"We did come together," commented Gall in an interview a decade later. "Most of the guys didn't know each other, and we were stuck together pretty tight for four or five weeks. You create a bond pretty fast, just getting on aeroplanes for 15 hours at a time. Most importantly, our manager, Davey Johnson, had an excellent attitude regarding having perspective and enjoying the moment, but also competing. And seeing everything."
Gall has been on the USA Baseball Board of Directors since 2013.
