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Former Cutters added to Phillies 40-man roster

Move protects them from Rule 5 Draft
December 4, 2010

Right-hander Justin De Fratus and infielders Freddy Galvis, Matt Rizzotti, Cesar Hernandez and  Harold Garcia had their contracts selected to the Phillies' 40-man roster recently.


De Fratus, an 11th-round selection in the 2007 draft, spent the 2008 season with Williamsport compiling a record of 6-5 with a 3.67 ERA.  He split 2010 season between single-A Clearwater and double-A Reading.  In a career-high 49 games, the 23-year-old went 3-0 with 21 saves and a 1.94 ERA.  He held opposing hitters to a .208 average and struck out 71 batters in 65.0 innings.  In the Arizona Fall League, De Fratus threw 7.0 scoreless innings for the Mesa Solar Sox with one save and 11 strikeouts, earning him a selection to the AFL Rising Stars Game. 

Galvis, who just turned 21 last Sunday, was the Cutters full-time shortstop in 2007 until a shoulder injury cut his season short.  Galvis hit .203 in 38 games with Williamsport.  He spent this past season with Reading.  He led all Eastern League shortstops with a .982 fielding percentage in 2010, committing just 11 errors in 624 total chances.  In 138 games, the switch-hitting Galvis batted .233 with five home runs, 48 RBI and 16 stolen bases.  He was originally signed by the Phillies as an amateur free agent in 2006. 

Hernandez, a switch-hitting second baseman, spent the entire season with Williamsport.  In 65 games with the Crosscutters, the 20-year-old batted .325 with 23 RBI and 32 stolen bases.  He was named to the NYPL All-Star Team and voted Cutters MVP by his teammates.  Hernandez was originally signed by the Phillies as an amateur free agent in 2006 out of Valencia, Venezuela. 

Rizzotti, 24, hit .260 with Williamsport in 2007.  He played at three different levels last season (Clearwater, Reading, and triple-A Lehigh Valley).  A sixth-round selection in the 2007 draft, Rizzotti led the entire organization with a .343 average and slugged 36 doubles, 17 home runs and 76 RBI in 125 combined games.  The first baseman was elected to both the midseason and postseason Eastern League All-Star teams, was named the Phillies Minor League Player of the Month for May and earned Eastern League Player of the Month honors for June.  Rizzotti also batted .333 with 12 RBI in 19 games for the Mesa Solar Sox in the Arizona Fall League. 

Garcia, a 24-year-old second baseman, split the season between Clearwater and Reading.  In July, he broke a 59-year-old Florida State League record by hitting safely in 37 consecutive games.  Signed as an amateur free agent in 2004, the Venezuelan native hit .305 this season with eight home runs, 64 RBI and 29 stolen bases in 101 combined games. 

With the additions, the Phillies now have the maximum 40 players on the 40-man roster.