Skip to content
Phillies
Link copied to clipboard

Phillies' Freddy Galvis falls short of Gold Glove

Galvis finished behind Brandon Crawford of the Giants for the second straight year.

Phillies shortstop Freddy Galvis throws to first base after forcing out Washington’s Trea Turner in September.
Phillies shortstop Freddy Galvis throws to first base after forcing out Washington’s Trea Turner in September.Read moreMATT SLOCUM / AP
    by Matt Breen
    Published 

Freddy Galvis may be an elite defensive shortstop, but he is still not a Gold Glove winner. The Phillies shortstop was denied the award on Tuesday night for the second straight year. The National League's winner was Brandon Crawford of the San Francisco Giants, who garnered his third career Gold Glove.

Galvis led all major-league shortstops with a .989 fielding percentage. The Phillies have not had a Gold Glove winner since Jimmy Rollins in 2012 and Galvis was their lone finalist this season. He was a finalist last season before losing to Crawford. Major-league managers and coaches vote on the Gold Glove winners.

The loss begins an uncertain offseason for Galvis, whose future with the team is unclear. He seemed to cede the starting role at the end of last season to J.P. Crawford. The Phillies seem set on moving forward with Crawford, who was ranked by Baseball America last week as the team's No. 1 prospect.

Galvis shined defensively but struggled to get on base, an area where J.P. Crawford thrived during his time in the minors. Galvis' on-base percentage (.309) was the third worst among National League shortstops. Galvis planned to start all 162 games at shortstop but was moved to the bench and even to the outfield once J.P. Crawford arrived. The Phillies were still able to have Galvis play all 162 games, becoming the first Phillies player to do so since Ryan Howard in 2008.

Galvis is a free agent after the 2018 season and could be moved this winter. Prospect Scott Kingery will join the Phillies by the middle of May and take over for second baseman Cesar Hernandez, who is a free agent after the 2019 season.

The Phillies could move Hernandez or Galvis and keep the other in a utility role behind Crawford and Kingery. That role seems better suited for Galvis as he can play multiple positions, provide pop off the bench and is a strong presence for a young team. But the Phillies may find a market for Galvis or another team could pay him to be a starter next winter. The situation is a bit complicated.