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Surprising solution at shortstop right now is to do nothing | Bob Brookover

The thought going into this season was that Freddy Galvis would start the season at shortstop for the Phillies and J.P. Crawford would finish it.

Lehigh Valley’s J.P. Crawford will have to wait until at least next year to become the Phillies’ shortstop. ( STEVEN M. FALK / Staff Photographer )
Lehigh Valley’s J.P. Crawford will have to wait until at least next year to become the Phillies’ shortstop. ( STEVEN M. FALK / Staff Photographer )Read moreSTEVEN M. FALK
    by Bob Brookover | Columnist
    Published 

Among the many decisions the Phillies' tag team of Matt Klentak and Andy MacPhail will have to make at the end of the 2017 season is what to do about the shortstop situation. Surprisingly, it might be the easiest decision of them all.

The answer is unexpected because we all assumed for the longest time that Freddy Galvis was nothing more than a placeholder for J.P. Crawford, the 22-year-old shortstop from Southern California the Phillies selected in the first round of the 2013 draft.

Crawford, it was thought, would hit for average and power, which would allow for him to be just a grade below Galvis defensively. Galvis, it was thought, would never hit enough to be an everyday player in the big leagues. And now what we have is another lesson about assuming things.

That's OK, though. In fact, it's not a bad situation to be in. All the Phillies have to do at shortstop is nothing.

When September rolls around, Crawford can go home, rest, and think about how he can improve his game for next season. He has not played his way to the big leagues this season and he has to live with that. Galvis, meanwhile, can continue to play the game the way he has played it all season, and it is possible he comes back even better next season.

The worst thing the Phillies could do right now is move either one of them. Proof that they should not trade either one just yet has stared them in the face this week. For some stupid reason, the Atlanta Braves decided after the 2015 season that it would be a good idea to deal Andrelton Simmons to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

Simmons was only 26 at the time and had already won two Gold Glove awards. In fact, he was so good defensively in 2013, when the Braves made their last postseason appearance, that he finished 14th in the MVP voting even though he hit .248 with a .296 on-base percentage and a .692 OPS.

The Braves, however, decided he would not hit enough to become the superstar they thought he would be when they signed him to a seven-year, $58 million deal during spring training in 2014. In return for Simmons, the Braves got pitchers Chris Ellis and Sean Newcomb and veteran infielder Erick Aybar. Only Newcomb remains with the Braves.

Atlanta assumed it had acquired Simmons' replacement at shortstop in a December 2015 trade with the Arizona Diamondbacks, but so far it has turned out that former No. 1 overall pick Dansby Swanson is not ready for the big leagues. He was hitting .213 with a .599 OPS when the Braves demoted him to triple-A Gwinnett last week.

Meanwhile, Simmons has become the hitter the Braves hoped he would be when they signed him to that seven-year deal three years ago, but it is the Angels who have the benefit of his services.

Getting back to the Phillies, it could be argued that Galvis is every bit as good as Simmons with his glove. Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said a couple of  weeks ago that he was disappointed that Galvis did not win the National League Gold Glove award last year, and it's possible that award will go to San Francisco's Brandon Crawford for a third straight season this year. Regardless, Galvis is one of the top five defensive shortstops in baseball and this season he has been in the upper half of offensive shortstops, too. He ranked seventh among big-league shortstops in doubles, 10th in home runs, and 16th in OPS through Wednesday's games.

His .303 on-base percentage is a significant improvement over last year. If he can get that number to .320 he's the guy you want at shortstop for years to come. Remember, Galvis is only 27, even though it seems as if he has been around forever.

Simmons' offensive surge in 2017 also offers a lesson as to why the Phillies need to be patient with  Crawford. Even though this has been a disappointing season for Crawford, he is still only 22 years old and he has improved as the season has progressed.

Before Thursday, he had hit .279 with a .380 on-base percentage and a .986 OPS in 29 games since July 1. He had eight home runs and 16 walks in that span. Despite his struggles offensively, he has maintained a high level of plate discipline. In fact, Crawford's 59 walks through Wednesday were tied for the league lead.

It is way too soon to give up on Crawford and there is no reason for the Phillies to make a decision about the future at shortstop right now. Galvis is doing just fine and could get even better. Crawford is improving and should get even better with some more time at triple-A Lehigh Valley.