Reading this article it seems safe to say that getting Galvis was related to getting Gibson (and moving Suarez). Still a bit skeptical though...
But in acquiring Gibson and shifting Ranger SuƔrez from closer to starter, the Phillies are rearranging that slice of the rotation to place a greater emphasis on converting groundballs into outs. It is counterintuitive to their current personnel because the Phillies are not blessed with a good infield defense. It is, actually, a glaring weakness.
Take one specific type of batted ball, for example: The Phillies had permitted a .237 batting average on groundballs hit to the left side ā shortstop, third base and left field ā at the time of the trade for Gibson and reliever Ian Kennedy, who also made his Phillies debut Sunday. That was the fourth-highest mark in MLB. The Rangers, by contrast, had allowed a .174 batting average on balls in play (BABIP) on those groundballs. (Only one team, Cleveland, was better.) Gibson, in particular, benefited from this; heād allowed a .122 BABIP on grounders hit to the left side of the field this season before the trade. That was the 11th-best mark among qualified starters.
But Gibson has also allowed an average exit velocity of 88.1 mph on the groundballs to the left side. (That was the 29th hardest among 144 qualified pitchers.) His expected batting average allowed on those batted balls was .202, according to MLBās Statcast metrics, and the .80 difference between his expected batting average and actual batting average was the 25th-highest mark. It suggested that he was due for regression. It might come faster with a worse defense behind him.
The Rangers entered the weekend with the second-most defensive runs saved at shortstop and the third-most defensive runs saved at third base. The Phillies were dead last at both positions. It is a significant downgrade for Gibson.
āIām still going to take my chances,ā Girardi said a few days ago. He chuckled.
Why?
āBecause I think weāre going to play better as an infield,ā Girardi said. āI do. And, No. 2, I donāt necessarily think that you want to be a fly-ball pitcher in Philadelphia. You get a double play anytime (if youāre a ground-ball pitcher). Ranger is a ground-ball pitcher, and heās had a lot of success. So, I just believe that weāre going to play better.ā
