Phillies news: Freddy Galvis always thought he’d come home
Freddy Galvis has been with the Philadelphia Phillies since he was 16 years old.
Their scouts discovered him, signed him, and brought him to the Phillies’ minor leagues, where he toiled away before making his big-league as a Phillie in 2012. Over six seasons in Philadelphia, Galvis played in 642 games, hit .245/.287/.372 with a .659 OPS, 92 doubles, 20 triples, 52 home runs, 233 RBI, and 43 stolen bases. In his final season with the club in 2017, he played in all 162 games.
Galvis is not playing yet (quad injury), but he’s clearly excited to do so. He’s been raving about being back in Philly all week. On Sunday, he told reporters that it felt “amazing” to put the uniform on again:
"“It was amazing. Amazing. The first thing I did when I put my uniform on was go straight to the mirror and look at myself again. Man, it was amazing. It was a good moment for me and my family, too.”“I was sad when I had to leave, but now I’m back and I feel like that’s what I need to be. I came here with this organization when I was 16 years old. All I know is the Phillies way.”"
Freddy Galvis says he always knew he’d come home to the Phillies
It’s rare nowadays for a player to spend their entire career with one team, and Galvis obviously won’t be one of those players. But he says he had no doubt that he’d be a Phillie again:
"“I knew I would come back to Philadelphia. I had that feeling since I left here. I don’t know why. I don’t know if it will be for two months or if it will be for next year and the year after, but for sure I want to be here and I want to win a World Series with the Phillies. Right now, I’m going to enjoy this and play hard and help the team.”"
On Friday, Galvis donned a Phillies uniform in Philadelphia for the first time since 2017. Prior to game time, Galvis told reporters:
"I don’t know why, but I always thought there was a chance to come back here. I always believed that.”"
Galvis has made it clear that he’s always considered the Phillies his home team. When the trade was announced shortly after the deadline on July 30, the team account captioned a photo of him, “Welcome home.” Galvis posted a throwback photo of his own:
Galvis is coming back from a quad injury that has sidelined him since the end of June, but he’s champing at the bit to contribute to his new (old) team:
"“Everything they want me to do. I know I can help with my defense. I know I can help with my offense, too. I’ll just try to help everyone here and be on the same page with everyone and help this team win some games.”"
What can Freddy Galvis bring to the Phillies?
The last time Galvis was a Phillie, he was playing with the remainders of their last great era. He says that informed much of his fledgling career, and he can pass that knowledge along to this new Phillies team:
"I played with the guys who won the last World Series with this team, and I know how they go about it and how they play the game and do all their stuff. They passed it to me.I always talked to Chooch [Carlos Ruiz]. I talked to Jimmy [Rollins]. I learned from Chase [Utley]. I learned from [Roy] Halladay and Cliff [Lee]. All those guys. I knew the mentality that they had to play."
The experience Galvis had personally and that he gained from playing with these Phillies legends might prove invaluable to the current club as they try to stay atop the division and reach the postseason for the first time since the year before he made his debut.
Galvis has always thought of Philadelphia as home. He never wanted to leave, and he’s over the moon to be here again. He says that when Baltimore Orioles GM Mike Elias called to tell him he’d been traded, he didn’t say he was being traded.
He told Galvis he was going home.
Related Story. Phillies: The sweet reason Freddy Galvis changed his jersey number. light
