San Diego Padres Have a Solid Player in Freddy Galvis

In a 9-1 loss to the D-Backs last night, San Diego Padres’ shortstop Freddy Galvis had another nice game to go along with the fantastic spring he’s had so far. This is just the beginning, folks.

When the San Diego Padres‘ GM A.J. Preller traded for the Friars’ new shortstop, on the surface many people thought of the signing as a reclamation project of sorts. Having seen enough of Freddy Galvis, I can tell you that’s not exactly true. This young man is a heck-of-a-ballplayer.

As most of you probably know, I’m also a fan of the New York Mets. Galvis’ first six seasons were spent with the Mets’ NL East-rivals, the Philadelphia Phillies. I can tell you from experience, seeing him come to the plate with an important run in scoring position was no picnic for me, as a fan.

The experience likely isn’t much different for opposing pitchers, managers, etc. Not only does Galvis have a knack for hitting with runners in scoring position (.259 career w/RISP, 13 HR, 165 RBI in 491 AB), he also has flair for the dramatic, as evidenced by his numbers in the “clutch” (6th inning or later, close or tie game).

He’s had a little over 1,000 at-bats in these types of situations and he’s slashed .253/.295/.380 with 23 HR and 105 RBI. For a now-28-year-old who only came into the league full-time in 2015, these numbers (to my eye, at least) are incredibly promising.

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San Diego Padres hope Galvis just needed a change

Philadelphia has a reputation for being a tough city with even tougher sports fans. Freddy Galvis may have succumbed, in a way, to this added pressure over time.

Or possibly, playing for a perennially-bad team with not much protection in the batting-order, Galvis may have simply been a victim of a bad fit.

Hopefully, a change of scenery will be just what he needs to restart down his developmental path, which over the next few seasons figure to be very important.

Padres hope they caught lightning in a bottle

Galvis is heading into a contract year. His $6.83 million salary this season is modest, but for a player who’s yet to fully prove himself as a top-tier guy, we should expect him to put forth even more effort than he already has over his tenure in MLB.

He’s made obvious improvements in many facets of his game since making his debut in 2012. With his future on the line, and the opportunity to make a lasting impression on the San Diego Padres franchise, we should fully expect to see a great year from Galvis.

With the level of talent that the Padres have stockpiled here, and the upward trajectory this franchise is on, he would be foolish not to see this situation for what it is; the opportunity of his MLB career. This team is laying the foundation to be contenders well into the foreseeable future.

Next: Spring Training Progress Report

Freddy Galvis has had his fair share of ups and downs over the course of his brief MLB career, as any young player will. Now in a new home in sunny Southern California, the San Diego Padres hope that Galvis will develop into the player he was originally projected to be and become a pillar for this team moving forward.