Galvis starts hot in winter ball; no left for Ruf
Four days into Venezuelan winter ball play and Freddy Galvis has made a splash in his return to organized baseball while Darin Ruf is awaiting his chance to gain experience in left field.
Galvis starts hot in winter ball; no left for Ruf
Matt Gelb
(Yong Kim/Staff Photographer)
Four days into Venezuelan winter ball play and Freddy Galvis has made a splash in his return to organized baseball while Darin Ruf is awaiting his chance to gain experience in left field.
Galvis had not played in a game since June 6 because of a fractured back and performance-enhancing drug suspension. He was 4 for 5 in his first Venezuelan game and is 8 for 18 in four games total with two home runs and a double.
Galvis, 22, is playing shortstop for Aguilas del Zulia. He could be starting at third base for the Phillies on April 1.
Meanwhile, Ruf has started three of four games for Tiburones de La Guaira. Each time he has batted cleanup. But twice he has served as designated hitter and once as first baseman.
Ruf is hitting 1 for 12 with a double and four strikeouts.
When discussing Ruf's winter plans, Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. said he expected Ruf would primarily play left field in Venezuela. It is a position both team and player believe requires more work time. The Phillies, of course, do not have any say in how winter league teams manage their rosters. They can reach out to teams with suggestions or requests.
The director deportivo of Tiburones is Jorge Velandia, who is the Phillies' assistant minor-league field coordinator.
"He's going to be playing for Jorge Velandia, so he will be out in left field every day," Amaro said in late September. "It should be a good experience for him."
So far, it has yet to happen. There is time; they play a 63-game schedule in Venezuela. But this is a situation worth watching.
Other notable Phillies in winter ball:
OF Tyson Gillies (Venezuela): 7 for 15, 4 R, 1 2B, 1 3B
2B Cesar Hernandez (Venezuela): 3 for 13, 4 R, 4 SB
C Sebastian Valle (Puerto Rico): 2 for 6, 2 R, 1 HR
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Vote: Phillies: Stay or Go?Comments (43)
2 home runs in 4 games? He's still juicing or they're playing on a little league field.— JBinPA- "He's going to be playing for Jorge Velandia, so he will be out in left field every day," Amaro said in late September. "It should be a good experience for him."
I think even Amaro's staunchest supporters would acknowledge that he is not a prophet. In reality, getting from the locker room to first base involves going through left field so Amaro spoke a verifiable truth, Ruf, going and coming, is in left field literally every day. And it's a good experience as well.
— Claudio Vernight - I predict Galvis will hit at least .270 next season and will have 3/4 as many RBI's as JRoll.— foreclosure11
- If you look at the numbers of Galvis and Rollins at the time Galvis went on the DL, Galvis wasn't much worse. Of course, Rollins was pretty much stinking it up at the time. But I think you have to continue to see what Galvis can do before assuming he'll never be able to hit. He showed a good head for the game and also for situational hitting in his limited time in the majors.
I would think Gillies, Hernandez and Valle would all get good looks at spring training.— s - I am on board with giving Galvis a shot at 3B in 2013. The 3B free agent class is brutal. Hopefully, the money gets spent on an 8th inning set up man and at least one, hopefully two legitimate major league starting outfielders. If I am guessing, BJ Upton is next year's CF and the other outfielder will be acquired with a Ruben Amaro "Nobody saw that coming" trade. The Nationals had their opportunity with the Phillies having an off year. Things aren't going to be so easy down in DC next year. Book it, Harry.— syddan26
- The only thing I will give into is moving Rollins to 3B, given his penchant for swinging for the fences and moving him to the 5th or 6th slot, thereby given light hitting Freddy Galvis a shot at SS and leading off.
Never happen. But worth a shot.— 24sDad - I would rather have Galvis at 3rd than Chase Headly. If Utley is healthy this season, that could also make things interesting.— Sane1
- When you come off a clunker of a season and then what you said was going to happen in winter ball doesn't happen immediately, it makes you look like you have no power and or your message doesn't get to where it needs to. That is an embarassment. As for Galvis, seriously, how do we not know he is still juicing it? Don't say because he would not risk it a 2nd time because there are others who have been caught a 2nd time...— Friend to All
- I'm juicing now, I'm 50 and I'm going to try out in Clearwater this spring. I'm gonna beat Ryan Howard out of that first base spot. All I have to do is strikeout one a game instead of three times a games. That's how I figure it!— phillynupe4
- This is huge! Galvis is 8 fo 18 with two dingers in 4 games of Venezuelan ball? I'm sure Matt Cain, RA Dickey, Madison Baumgardner and all the other stud NL starters are laying in bed awake at night now. "Oh man, that Galvis, boy, he's going to eat me alive." But seriously, let's trade Ruiz for prospects because with Galvis on our roster next year, we have all the power we need.— eman
- Gillies 7 for 15! Amaro doesn't execute what he says. Last October after the Cards he noted the need to improve fundamentals & for professional hitting to be more selective. After already adding Pence who refuses to do anything except his way, he re-signs Jo Roll & gets Ty Wigginton as his "big" addition to help. Wiggy & Pence's defense & poor situation at bats with RISP contributed nearly as much as RAJ's bullpen disaster & injuries. Hopefully Ruf gets time & the young Phillies & no injuries can add enough to overcome the front office. Go Phils 2013!— phillies6pack
- @fiendtoall: If he's dumb enough to do it a second time, that's on him. Remember, there were times he was hot even in the majors, and he was hitting well when he broke his back after a very slow start( he had 25 RBI by Memorial day, so he was on a pace for 75), so I'll look at the one violation for what it was. Galvis says it was from ingesting steroid containing meat in his native country ( no FDA down there); I'm pretty skeptical of that, but if he chooses to throw away another chance, I won't blame the Phils.— drbob1
- Baby Bonds LOL. WASTE OF TIME.He'll probably juice his way to the hof like barry.— tobyjoe
- Galvis at 3rd is a terrible idea. This is a power position and he has no power and will barely hit above 200. Galvis rather than Headly.....seriously? leading off? If he's even on the roster and has to play, he should bat 8th and when Lee and Hammels are pithing, bat him 9th. He needs to spend at least another year or two in the minors.— Short Circuit 3
- Very true that 3rd is typically a power position. But typically teams do not have players at 2nd and SS with the kind of power Utley and Rollins have so the Phils can go with a lighter-hitting guy at 3rd and still have plenty of pop in the lineup. — MadChemist13
- No reason to spend more time in monors, Galvis is already a better glove than Utley and probably better defensively at short than Rollins. Why waste him in the minors? I don't remember Brooks Robinson being any kind of power hitter. How many homers has Wright hit at third? Polanco was a helluva third base until his body broke down, but he was not a power hitter. Get a couple of boppers in the outfield and who cares what Galvis hits. — mike l
- Short Circuit 3.....3rd is a power position?....Frandsen and Polanco?
They will have plenty of power with their 3,4,5 hitters....Most feared in baseball.....Hamilton,Howard and Ruf......YEOW!!!!— mainstreet - Galvis will have 3/4 of the RBI's that Rollins will have...???? Are you sure you want to re-think that thought???? Sitting in the 8-hole, not seeing any strikes or hittable pitches hitting in the spot before the pitcher???? Galvis will have 45-50 RBI hitting there??? I think not....if he is smart his on base percentage could be around .400 and he'll give the pitcher the chance to sacrifice him over...— michael2_19030
- Galvis had 24 RBIs in 58 games last year. That pace would give him 67 in a 162 game season. Rollins had 68 for the year.
Now there's no way to predict if the pace he was on was some big spike we'll never see again. But that's the history we have so you can't laugh the idea off until we see him hit more.— s - I'd also add how ridiculous putting a .400 OBP number out there is. That's HOF level -- only 59 players with 3000 PAs or more have an OBP of .400 or more.
A few other interesting stats: Frandsen was a high average/OBP guy this year (first and second on the team) but he also played in three fewer games than Galvis (55). In 55 games Frandsen had 14 RBIs compared to 24 for Galvis in 58 games.
Polanco was even worse: 90 games, 19 RBIs. That's only slightly more than half the pace Galvis was on.
Which suggests that if his short 2012 stint wasn't a complete fluke or completely chemical induced, it's unlikely Galvis represents any drop-off at 3B from what we've been seeing.
That said, I still think a trade for a third baseman should be plan A.— s - The best thing this organozation could do is quietly trade Galvis and not have him become a controversial figure every time the team appears on national TV games. Is he or is'nt he still juiced up is not something I want to be hearing for years to come.
If Ruf gets most of his time at First Base in winter ball, look out. The Phillies may be trying to move Howard. Good !— candidly - @shortcircuit: I'd like to have plenty of players, heck, I'd like to have Miguel Cabrera at 3rd. But let's be realistic. The Padres have new ownership with deep pockets, they have no reason to trade their best position player unless they receive an offer that really improves their ball club. Since PETCO is the kind of ball park that will let them get away with mediocre pitching, the Padres would probably want position players from the Phils , which the Phils don't have. It's probably either Galvis , Frandsen, or washed up FA, so if those are my choices, I'll take Galvis.— drbob1
- Galvis at third only works if Howard and Utley consistently hit for power and we get a true lead off hitter to play center (sorry Jimmy, you are my new number 6 hitter). I guess all that is possible.— bobcitydoc
- I was in Cooperstown fall 2011. A picture of Freddy Galvis was in one of the newspapers at the Hall of Fame. In the picture he looked very thin and slight. At Citizens Bank Park he was much more muscular and beefy. I guess if he was suspended at least some of that bulk was the result of banned substances?
I wonder if his slight frame could not support the extra muscle, contributing to the Pars fracture. I have no expertise in this at all, but I think his health is something to consider. I like his defense and attitude, but they need to have an informed medical opinion before making any commitments.— jerseyshorefan - Let's forget about 3rd and play Frandsen. He hits and get on base with greater frequency than the others, except Ruiz. Straighten out the outfield. Right now it's a musical merry-go-round. Of all in the organization, my bet is on (sleeper)Gillies in center. Someone has to show up in left and right or by trade. Young Tom— Young Tom
- "The best thing this organization could do is quietly trade Galvis and not have him become a controversial figure every time the team appears on national TV games." Did Frandson embarrass himself on National tv? Funny that nobody minds Frandson playing here but some fans are holding what Freddie did against him. Why would trade you trade a great utility guy possible future ss at the age of 22 when nobody can say how well he will do. We can all project what we think he will do but after watching him play for 2 moths nobody knows. I do know this team has a very good glove man that can play 3 positions as well as most starters on other teams. Why on earth would you trade him? I guess we ought to get Valdez back instead? Silly that fans can see how good he is on defense and how poor we were this season when he and PP went down.PP is old and injured. As far as I know Freddie's injury is 100 percent and he 22 years old. Lets trade all the youth away so we can pay someone to do what he can do but not half as well. Silly idea!
— pattymac3 - Galvis got some clutch hits in the time he was starting. I do not see him as a slugger, and he doesn't have to be. He is a very good fielder, and ought to be given a shot to pay SS, while moving J-Roll to 3B.— Paul SoTX
- Cody Asche is well ahead of Freddy Galvis as a hitter.— Bobby G
- Again, what is love affair with Galvis? I see him as next years M. Martinez, period. If someone is injured, he is a fill in. Check the numbers, Frandsen had about the same number of AB, had 11 less KO and hit a hundred point higher than Galvis. I still think the team is going outside to get a 3rd baseman.— lefty27
- Asche is leading the Arizona Fall league in doubles after the first week of the season and is hitting .350 with no errors at the hot corner.— Dull
- @dull: While I agree that Asche is probably the best player, we have to guess what Ruin Tomorrow will do, and his history does not involve bringing up young players and letting them sink or swim. He had a chance to do that with Dom Brown, and replaced him with Hunter Pence for a whole season( July to July). Galvis doesn't have much more experience than Asche, but he played here already , so Ruin will give him the first shot.— drbob1
- Where Galvis fits will depend entirely on what Amaro can accomplish in the off season. I'm expecting atleast 2 big additions, either through FA or by trade(don't want Bourn). Been sayin it for a couple yrs now, we don't play to our ball park like we did in 08. Our starters our great but they make one little mistake and it's a 3 run homer that would normally be a pop up in most places and we just don't have the offense to respond. It's putting too much pressure on our staff to be perfect. We must get more power.— The Pink Floyd
- If they don't go out and get Headley, then they are taking the same risk they took last year, which is, that they believe Utley will be ready for a full year. Your opening day lineup will have Frandsen at 3rd, and Galvis at 2nd. Before that happens, (no ifs about it) if they can't get Headley, they have to get 2 productive outfielders, not one.
If they do get Headley, then Galvis will start at 2nd, and they can get by signing or trading for one outfielder. They don't have to overpay to get a star setup man for they 8th. They can get 2 guys (like Durbin and Romero in 2008) for moderate money, and hope one or both have career years. That way, we don't have the weakness of last year, where they relied on Contreras as the 8th inning RH guy. Also, we don't have to overly rely on all of the young guys, and they can develop better.— laser5 - You also have to understand the age difference and roster dynamics between Asche and Galvis. Galvis was in the minors at 17. Asche went to college and didn't hit the minors until he was 21. As a result, Galvis played over 500 games in the minors. Asche has played less than 200. Even Mike Trout played more than 200 minor league games before getting his call-up. Due to Galvis's young age when he started in the minors he was also at (or close to) Rule 5 status. I can't remember when he was added to the 40 man roster but he almost surely would have been even if he didn't play in the majors to avoid exposing him to Rule 5. And, as it turns out, we needed him on it anyway last year with Utley not being able to play. Now that he's been on the 40 man there's no easy way to take him off without exposing him. Meanwhile, Asche has a much longer clock running since he started 4-5 years older than Galvis. So the way they're treating Asche now makes sense even if you dislike Amaro.
We should get a look at Asche in spring training and also get a longer look at Galvis.— s - I want to see Gillies in cf next year. Forget about another Amaro retread. He has brought a lot of garbage in here with bad contracts at the position player level. Unfortunately it sounds like the Stroll is going to be leading off again listening to Chawlie's recent mumblings.— wo_fat
- How will Galvis hit when he's not doping?— LMparent
- Good to see Galvis looking good early this winter, but I don't see him as the answer for third base.— TennPhan
- Last spring Freddy Galvis was overused in spring training. I understand trying to give him as much experience as possible preparing him for second base. I think in the long run that wore him down. Nobody in the lineup was hitting much except for Carlos Ruiz. The team asked a lot from Freddy Galvis. Too much. Freddy will hit. I never expected to say this but Chase Utley is holding him back. Freddy played excellent defense and showed a high level of situational awareness. Much more range than Chase. Chase didn't hit much at the end of the season. It'll be interesting how it plays out. They must field the best team. I'm grateful for Chase Utley's contributions in the past. He's DH material now. I would just as soon keep him than move him and take the salary hit. The team would be foolish to offer him arbitration for 2014. Unless he steps up the way Ibanez did.— PhilsfaninNebraska
- if the phillies can acquire chase headley(doubtful),then the infield solidifies and they can concentrate their efforts to land that 7th/8th inning reliever they so deperately need...i'd give up a lot to get headley,but galvis at 3rd base is worth a shot...he cannot be any worse than polanco/wigginton and cholly isn't sold on frandsden as an everyday player...available 3rd basemen are a scarce commodity so there aren't many options here...too bad ruf can't play there..— jabac
- Freddie and Gillies are #2 #3 in offense in their league,Freddie leads in total bases. How will he hit when not doping? Pretty good by the looks of it. He will be tested a lot and I am sure already has been so assuming he is doping is kind of taking a bad guess.— pattymac3
- youk gonna be a 3B and cody ross in RF, book it. Galvis super-U, and Ruf will eventually take platoon away from Dumminick. CF more murky, i can see McClouth coming here if we throw enough his way, and a platoon with he and Dingle.— UnaBlogger
- Just hope we don't trade away good pitching prospects that will produce later for another team for old expensive has beens or never were beens. Hope we learned about giving up on prospects-Gio Gonzalez ring a bell? Look towards the future with our prospects such as Brown, Ruf, Asche, Biddle, May, Galvis, Gillies, et al. Couple of prospects we got for Shane V and Pence also show promise. The future looks bright so I hope we don't trade the future for instant gratification that will last only very briefly.
— skipdog
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