Well, this is some way to start your Monday, eh? The news on Chase Utley isn’t good, and it appears the team is ready to turn to Galvis at 2B, a position he hasn’t played much at all outside of a few spring training appearances. So what should we expect from him? It’s hard to say. As I covered in my Top 30 writeup on Galvis, his 2011 offensive performance essentially came out of nowhere, as he made big gains in all areas. Normally when you see steady growth, you expect bumps along the way, but the grow Galvis experienced in 2011 was sudden. Could he continue to grow rapidly, even at the major league level? It’s possible. There will certainly be a learning curve here, and he’ll go through rough stretches as he adjusts. But we know he’s one of the best defenders in the minor leagues, and his reactions, soft hands, and solid arm should play well at 2B. I think it’s likely that he’s nothing more than a .240-.250 hitter early on, but capable of driving the ball in the gaps and as he adjusts, his numbers should tick up. More importantly, for a team that will need to save runs, his glove could be a difference maker.

For those of you new to the site looking for info on Galvis, you can see his profile page here and also my writeup on him in my Top 30 prospects list.