Freddy José Galvis (born November 14, 1989) is a Venezuelan professional baseball shortstop for the Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos of the Mexican League.

He became a fan favorite for his performance early in the season, especially defensively, until he sustained an injury and subsequently was suspended for 50 games after a positive test for performance-enhancing drugs.

Over the course of the next two seasons, he split time between the Lehigh Valley IronPigs – the Phillies' Triple-A affiliate – and the major league ball club, but struggled to establish himself offensively.

Galvis was born November 14, 1989, in Punto Fijo, Falcón, Venezuela, and at age 14, the Philadelphia Phillies began to scout him during his days playing youth baseball.

[1] He participated on Latin America's team in the Little League World Series, but due to his slight stature (5 feet 10 inches (1.78 m) 154 pounds (70 kg)), struggled to captivate scouts' attention.

The next season, he officially began affiliated baseball in 2007 with the Williamsport Crosscutters at age 17, as one of just five players not born in the United States.

[3] He made an impression with Phillies' personnel due to outstanding defensive skills that drew comparisons to those of Baseball Hall of Famer Omar Vizquel, and also demonstrated solid instincts while baserunning, despite struggling to get on base.

He began 2009 with the Clearwater Threshers in Class A-Advanced, and was the Phillies minor league player of the week after he hit .417 from April 20 to 26.

Always known as an excellent defender, but mediocre hitter, he was finally able to improve at the plate, thanks in part to a much more rigorous off-season conditioning regimen, and also due to hitting higher in the batting order, where he was thus challenged to make greater offensive contributions by utilizing a more aggressive approach.

He also improved his arm strength to the point that at least defensively, coaches and front office personnel felt he was ready to be a major league shortstop.

His excellent numbers were enough to earn the 2011 Paul Owens Award, which is given to the best position player and pitcher, respectively, in the Philadelphia Phillies minor league system.

He entered spring training as "one of the most intriguing story lines" for the Phillies, and led the team in several statistical categories, but still presumed to open the season in AAA.

[3][7] However, on March 19, 2012, Phillies general manager Rubén Amaro, Jr. announced that Chase Utley would miss the beginning of the season due to a knee injury, and Galvis would be the opening day starter there.

[8] Galvis recorded his first major league hit in his fourth career game on April 9, a two-run double off of Miami Marlins pitcher Aníbal Sánchez.

"[9] While on the disabled list, Galvis tested positive for having a metabolite of Clostebol (a performance-enhancing synthetic steroid) in his system, a violation of Major League Baseball's Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program.

[3] There was considerable debate as to whether Galvis should open the 2013 season working on his hitting in AAA, or on the bench of the major league Phillies.

During spring training, Galvis contracted a methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infection (more commonly known as MRSA), ostensibly from the Phillies' clubhouse at Bright House Field in Clearwater, Florida.

[20] Overall, Galvis posted his worst offensive season thus far; he hit .176 at the major league level with four home runs and 12 RBIs.

"[22] When the Phillies traded Rollins to the Los Angeles Dodgers prior to the 2015 season, media reports speculated that Galvis and César Hernández were the presumptive nominees to start at shortstop for the upcoming season, likely seeking to bridge the gap between Rollins and J. P. Crawford, the top prospect in the Phillies' organization.

He led all National League shortstops in fielding percentage (.987) and was nominated for a Gold Glove Award, ultimately losing to Brandon Crawford of the San Francisco Giants.

He also performed well defensively, again leading National League shortstops in fielding percentage and being nominated for a Gold Glove Award, and again losing to the Giants' Brandon Crawford.

On December 15, 2017, Galvis was traded to the San Diego Padres for minor league pitcher Enyel De Los Santos.

[32] On December 13, 2021, Galvis signed with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks of Nippon Professional Baseball on a two-year deal for an undisclosed salary.

[33] Galvis made his NPB debut in the opening game against the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters on March 25, 2022, and went 2-for-2 with a grand slam.

"[7] Cognizant that he is a smaller player, Galvis has spent significant time working to improve his physical strength and conditioning in the offseasons.