Galvis Performing at an All-Star Level

The Phillies will likely only be sending one representative to the MLB All-Star Game in Cincinnati this July. Unlike previous years, it won’t be a player with a name like Utley, Howard, Rollins, Halladay, or Lee. This year’s Phillies All-Star rep could be a guy who many fans had low expectations for going into this season: shortstop Freddy Galvis.

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A career .218 hitter over parts of three previous MLB seasons, Galvis is enjoying his best season as a major leaguer throughout the first month and a half of 2015. The shortstop is hitting for a .336 average with 11 RBIs in 134 at-bats. That lofty average has him tied for fourth best in the National League. He also leads MLB shortstops in 3-hit games with seven of them, and is 11 for 37 (.297) over his last 10 games.

Signed by the Phils as an amateur free agent in 2006, Galvis never showed much with the bat in his five minor league seasons before making his major league debut in 2012 at the age of 22. His best year came in 2011, when he batted a combined .278 with eight home runs and 43 RBIs in 137 games between AA Reading and AAA Lehigh Valley.

Despite his light-hitting, Galvis rose through the ranks thanks to superb glove work. He was given the opportunity to start at shortstop coming into this season after the Phillies shipped the franchise all-time hits leader Jimmy Rollins off to the Los Angeles Dodgers in December as part of their rebuilding plan.

Many expected Galvis to be a stopgap at shortstop until top prospect J.P. Crawford was ready to take over the reins. However, the 25-year old native Venezuelan has opened the eyes of fans with his all-around play. Galvis has begun garnering attention around the league, thanks largely to an increase in playing time, but also to a new hitting approach.

Until this year, Galvis often tried to hit home runs, which got him into trouble at the plate. This spring, with the help and advice of Phillies coaches, and armed with a heavier bat, he left spring training in Clearwater with a new philosophy. The switch-hitting Galvis focused on keeping the ball on the ground, and out of the air. The results have been impressive.

In an interview with USA Today’s Howard Megdal, Galvis talked about those changes.

“They went to me, and they told me, we want you to hit the ball on the ground, line drives and grounders,” Galvis said. “And that’s what we started doing. I’m getting my foot down early, and that’s allowing me to see it better and hit it on the ground.”

Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg has taken note of Galvis’ improvement.

“This is an extended amount of a guy being hot,” Sandberg told Megdal. “I think that he’s doing a really good job of staying with the approach, and making the most of it… he’s really settling in as an everyday shortstop doing a heck of a job for us on both sides of the ball for us. That’s a big plus, and a big improvement.”

While Galvis still isn’t walking at a high rate, he is making more contact, and making it count. His 87.3 percent contact rate and .379 BABIP (batting average on balls in play) are both seventh best among MLB shortstops, according to rotowire.

It hasn’t always been easy for Galvis, in part due to his own mistakes. After suffering a back injury while filling in for Chase Utley in 2012, he was suspended 50 games after his urine sample tested positive for a substance which was banned by Major League Baseball. He spent much of the 2013 season in Triple-A, and was hospitalized with a MRSA infection during last year’s spring training.

With those physical issues behind him, Galvis is easing the absence of Rollins for Phils fans. This is at least partly attributable to his spectacular defense. Rollins won four Gold Gloves in red pinstripes, and Galvis could eventually be considered for one himself. That glove hasn’t been as strong as in past seasons (he’s committed five errors in 36 games played), but Galvis still has a .987 fielding percentage for his career.

Prior to this season, Galvis was seen as no more than an MLB utility player. But with his surprising start to the season, he is making people reconsider their opinion of him. It still remains difficult to project how Galvis might fit into the Phillies’ future. He is arbitration eligible at the end of this year, and it’s unclear how much he could command from the team, especially if he continues his strong play. The Phillies will also have to determine how far Crawford is from making to the jump to the majors, which will be a big factor in how they handle their plans with Galvis.

After recovering from a minor injury that delayed the start to his own 2015 season, Crawford has continued to play well in the minor leagues. The organization’s top prospect, he could be the ready to take over as the starting shortstop as early as next season.

Maikel Franco will be the third baseman into the future. If not traded, second baseman Chase Utley has a $15 million vesting option for 2016, if he reaches 500 plate appearances this season. However, if Galvis’ play remains strong and Utley continues to struggle, Galvis could take the position away next year, replacing yet another longtime icon.

Galvis’ new approach is paying big dividends for him and the team. For fans, it is encouraging to see a young player performing at such a high level. Freddy Galvis has arguably been the Philadelphia Phillies 2015 MVP thus far, and should be representing the team in Cincinnati on July 14th for the Midsummer Classic.