Odubel Herrera, Freddy Galvis named finalists for Gold Glove Awards
Odubel Herrera and Freddy Galvis on Thursday afternoon were named finalists for National League Gold Glove Awards. A pair of Phillies have not won the award since Shane Victorino and Jimmy Rollins were honored in 2009.
Galvis finished the season with a .987 fielding percentage to lead all NL shortstops. Herrera, who finished just his second season as a full-time centerfielder, registered 11 outfield assists, which was second among NL centerfielders.
The winners will be announced in November.
Galvis would be the fourth Phillies shortstop to win the award, joining Jimmy Rollins, Larry Bowa, and Bobby Wine. Herrera would be the fifth Phillies outfielder to earn a Gold Glove, joining Victorino, Aaron Rowand, Bobby Abreu, and Garry Maddox.
Galvis, who will become the Phillies' longest-tenured player after they officially release Ryan Howard, batted .241 with a .274 on-base percentage and 20 homers this season.
"The way he's played defense, he's established himself as our shortstop for next year," manager Pete Mackanin said. "He hit 20 homers, drove in basically 70 runs, which is a bonus to get that from a defender that good. On the other hand, he needs to work on his plate discipline and he can become a better hitter if he concentrates on situational hitting and two-strike hitting. Things like that. He can become a .280 hitter if he focuses on those things. I think he's capable of doing it. He's the most fun player to watch on the team. Just a lot of fun to watch."
Herrera, who turns 25 in December, batted .286 with a .361 on-base percentage. His production trailed off in the second half, but he still led the team in Wins Above Replacement for the second-straight season Herrera had a 4.2 WAR in 2016 and a 3.8 in 2015.
"It's not easy to put up a three-win [above replacement] season two years in a row as a Rule 5 pick," general manager Matt Klentak said. "He's one of the best centerfielders — one of the best overall outfielders — in the National League, period. But I certainly realize the first half was different than the second half. But in the aggregate, I think Odubel Herrera is still a very valuable player to this team."
Both players could have their positions challenged by prospects in the near future. J.P. Crawford and Nick Williams will be at spring training in February but are expected to begin the season at triple A. The Phillies then will have to decide where the two top prospects fit. A possible scenario is Galvis moving to second base to make room for Crawford and either Williams or Herrera moving to a corner position. Williams played all three positions at Lehigh Valley in 2016.