Phillies Freddy Galvis Power Surge: Waiver Worthy?

Freddy Galvis is quietly having a career season for the Phillies. But, can fantasy owners trust him as a waiver wire add heading into the second week of the fantasy playoffs?

The Phillies may have an ugly record, but for the most part, they have been a competitive team on a nightly basis in 2016. While they have an assortment of intriguing arms, it is their position players that are the most compelling. One player that is flying under the radar this season, is Freddy Galvis.

Prior to the 2016 season, Galvis was seen as the Phillies’ placeholder at short until stud prospect, J.P. Crawford, arrived. While Galvis has proven to be a solid utility middle infielder in the past, it seemed as though his ceiling was just as a light hitting, or bottom of the order type of bat. But, that sentiment has drastically changed after his performance this season.

Galvis currently sits with a, .237/19 HR/65 RBI/13 SB/.670 OPS line. Now let’s just get the ugliness out-of-the-way, his AVG and OBP are drastically reduced due to his 124 K:24 BB ratio. Clearly not want you want to see, but it is obviously an area he can improve. With that said, the 19 HR and 65 RBI are easily career highs, and are what immediately jumps out at fantasy owners

Between 2012-2016, Galvis had a total of 20 HR for the Phillies. He will more than likely eclipse that mark before season’s end, and 20+ HR potential from a MI is obviously fantasy gold. His 65 RBI are 15 more than he had last season, and the Phillies have now even slotted him into the 5/6 holes in the lineup, allowing him to build his counting stats.

Looking deeper into his batted ball data, Galvis’ AVG may be low, but that does not mean he is not making solid contact. Galvis has a 23.5% LD, 55.8% Med, and a 27.7% Hard contact rate. Each of these markers are career highs as well, and further shows that Galvis’ power surge is by no means thanks to luck.

Galvis attributes the improvement to a mechanical change that has allowed him more of an uppercut swing, thus generating more lift. Galvis is seeing the ball well at the plate over the last week or so and has posted a, .269/3 HR/6 RBI/.901 OPS/3 R line. He has played in every game in the month of September, and over that 14 game span, he has been held without a hit in only three contests.

Freddy Galvis should be a waiver wire add because of the advantage he gives owners from the MI or UTIL spot. Galvis’ power and RBI production can give an owners an advantage over the competition, as the MI spot is usually one of the weaker hitting spots in a fantasy lineup.

Galvis will also have the advantage of facing the Marlins, and White Sox at Philly to begin the week, and then travel to New York to face the Mets over the weekend. While those teams have aces such as Chris Sale, Jose Fernandez, and Noah Syndergaard, the rest of their rotations leave a lot to be desired, only helping Galvis’s chances.

Add Freddy Galvis for the second week of the fantasy playoffs, and bank on his power show to continue. Winning in the playoffs simply comes down to maximizing matchups and adding players that are hot over the last month of the season, further making the addition of Galvis a must .