Galvis comfortable, happy to be Reds' shortstop
GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- The Reds exercised the $5.5 million club option for Freddy Galvis on Nov. 1, but that hardly brought an end to the questions about who would play shortstop for the club in 2020.
Even with Galvis in the fold, Cincinnati made a competitive push to sign free-agent shortstop Didi Gregorius before he joined the Phillies. There were rumors that the Reds were attempting to trade for Francisco Lindor of the Indians or Corey Seager of the Dodgers. Those moves haven’t materialized.
That brought it back to Galvis, who is replacing 2019 Reds shortstop José Iglesias after he was not brought back as a free agent. Iglesias signed with the Orioles.
“That’s always going to happen, a team will try to move pieces and stuff like that,” Galvis said. “I control what I can control. I was just practicing and trying to get ready for the season. I had my mind on here.”
The Reds claimed Galvis off of waivers from the Blue Jays on Aug. 12 and used him at second base alongside Iglesias. Over 147 games combined for Toronto and Cincinnati, Galvis batted .260/.296/.438 with 23 home runs and 70 RBIs -- both career highs.
Galvis, 30, got off to a fast start with his new club, but he endured a 1-for-40 slump before finishing with hits in four of his last six games. He didn’t play after Sept. 14 because of a left knee sprain, and he also battled pneumonia.
“Freddy was a really great addition in the middle of the year last year. We didn’t know him personally, but had always seen how good of a player he is,” manager David Bell said. "Getting to know him and what he brings to a team, not only on the field, but just a real tough guy, winner and good person. He fit in just beautifully on our team.
“You look at what he’s done throughout his career at shortstop -- the consistency that he provides at that position. They’re all important positions, but to have someone you can count on in the middle of the field like we can with Freddy is going to be a big part of our success this year. And we need him, not as a pressure thing, but he plays an important role on our team. I believe too that offensively, he will continue to get better. He hit for power last year. He’s at a point in his career that I think he will continue to mature as a hitter.”
Galvis has a .291 career on-base percentage, which does not fit the profile of what the Reds like in their lineup. His walk rate dropped from 6.9 percent in 2018 to 4.8 percent in ’19.
“If there’s one thing I need to work on, it’s to be on base a little bit more and cut down on strikeouts,” said Galvis, who averaged 146 strikeouts over the past two seasons. “I will try to be on base more for the other guys. It’s something I’m focused on for the days I’ve been here. That’s the plan at Spring Training.”
Galvis hasn’t been as heralded defensively as Iglesias, but there are stats to support that he’s quite comparable. According to Statcast, Galvis’ +12 infield outs above average (OAA) was tied with Iglesias last season and made them both the sixth-best defensive shortstops in baseball. Galvis often avoids fielding mistakes, as well.
According to research from MLB.com’s Mike Petriello, Galvis made 16 high-probability misplays over 1,168 innings combined at shortstop and second base last season, which averages to one every 73 innings and was nearly even with the top shortstop in that category, Andrelton Simmons of the Angels.
“It feels pretty good, man. That’s the position I’ve played all my life,” Galvis said of returning to shortstop. “That is where I feel more comfortable. It’s good to be back.”