Is Galvis ready for the big time? (AP)
By the way, before we begin, Freddy Galvis wants to be called Freddy “Gal-vis”, not Freddy “Gal-veez” or “Gal-vees.” The Philadelphia Inquirer got him to make a ruiling on his last name this past week and the kid said he wanted to Americanize it. Nothing wrong with that, but now I’ve got to go back to how I was originally saying it before I switched over to the cool, new way with the extended “eeez” on the end. Now I’m back – if you’re playing along, you should be, too.
No matter how you pronounce his name, people will be talking about Galvis this season. He stood out – offensively anyway – for all the wrong reasons on opening day, as he grounded into two double plays. His glovework was fine; no hiccups at second base, starting at that position for the first time in his career.
The learning curve will certainly be great for a kid who has just a few at-bats above double-A. In 33 games with Lehigh Valley a year ago, he hit .298 in 126 plate appearances. That learning curve is to be expected.
It’s unfair to come down on a 22-year old who has been thrust into a job he’s likely not ready for. That said, I still think it’s more beneficial for the Phillies to give him the keys and let him drive while Chase Utley is out. Galvis is not going to be counted upon to do much with the bat. All the Phillies will ask of him is to play solid defense and come up with a hit once in a while. Galvis is a cheap alternative to the veteran utility infielders that are so abundant throughout baseball. But I like that the organization has faith in the kid who was once the heir apparent to Jimmy Rollins at shortstop. This rapid maturation only serves to help Galvis in the long term. If he can play in the majors, even for a short period of time, and hold his own, then he could be a part of the Phillies future.
When he grounded into those DP’s, I just sort of laughed it off. You can hardly be upset about it. The Phillies need offense, yes, but they are also stuck between a rock and a hard place. They’re waiting on Utley to make his move, to make things better when he returns. No one knows exactly when that will be, but two months of Freddy Galvis at second won’t kill this club. Ryan Theriot or someone of that ilk would not make this team a contender batting eighth and playing a middle infield spot, keeping it warm for Utley. So, let’s try to enjoy what Galvis brings with his glove and hope that the bat soon follows.
