San Diego Padres: Freddy Galvis is Blossoming, But What’s Next?

Heading into Monday’s game with the Colorado Rockies, the San Diego Padres have one of the most offensively-productive shortstops in the National League. Yes, you read that right.

The San Diego Padres hit the offseason jackpot when they acquired Freddy Galvis from the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for Enyel De Los Santos in December.

Galvis is signed through the end of this season at an extremely team-friendly $6.825 million. With Luis Urias and Fernando Tatis, Jr. both looming in the minors and due to make their respective debuts over the next season or two, it leaves the Friars in a peculiar position.

Padres are loving Freddy Galvis’ bat

Galvis, 28, has a career slash line of .247/.290/.374 over his 652-game career (2,298 at-bats). His 162-game averages of 13 home runs, 59 RBI, 23 doubles, five triples, and only 115 strikeouts give an idea of just how talented of a player he is.

Keep in mind, those numbers came with minimal protection around him in the Phillies’ lineup; certainly not like the level of talent around him here in San Diego.

It seems as if that added protection has led to added comfortability, which, in turn, has given us the new, improved Freddy Galvis…so far.

Going into tonight’s game in Denver, Galvis is slashing .364/.475/.485 with five RBI and seven walks. His 12 hits and .364 average are both ranked second in the National League behind only Dansby Swanson of the Braves.

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Padres value Galvis’ glove

Let’s not forget about the half-dozen sparkling plays he’s made in the field already this year either.

Most MLB shortstops can only hope to have one #HangAStar moment; Galvis has had like seven already.

As per fangraphs.com, in just 92.2 innings this season, the Padres’ shortstop already has a defensive-runs saved (DRS) rating of 1.0 and an ultimate zone rating (UZR) of 0.3.

Both of these stats are accumulated over the course of a season, of course, and to keep on this pace would be an upper-echelon level of production.

While Galvis’ hitting is sure to slow down at some point (it has to…right?), we can all count on his pristine glove being there whenever he’s called upon.

Next: Yates to DL, Baumann Called Up

Though, if he does continue to produce at the level he has, and Urias and Tatis are both still on their current path of development, Galvis’ stock price would make it almost a crime not to explore a trade at the deadline, as we’ve touched on here in the past.