Phillies Acquire Philadelphia Native Frank Gailey for Ben Francisco
By Matt Leon
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The Phillies are staying active this offseason, pulling the trigger on a deal with the Toronto Blue Jays today.
Outfielder Ben Francisco was sent north of the border, and in exchange the Phillies have acquired minor league lefthander Frank Gailey.
Gailey's name may be a familiar one to local fans. He is an Archbishop Carroll product, and starred at West Chester University.
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Soon after the deal was announced, Gailey spoke to KYW Newsradio's Matt Leon about getting traded home.
"It's been crazy," Gailey said. "This was probably one of the last things I thought would happen when I woke up this morning."
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Since the trade was announced, Gailey says he's been hearing from everybody.
"Good 'ol Facebook, I've been getting a lot of that. I've been getting people calling me, text messages. It's absolutely bananas. It's actually wonderful to see how many people actually follow me a little bit. It's been very nice."
Gailey had been very good in the Blue Jays' minor league system. Drafted in the 23rd round of the 2007 draft by the Blue Jays, he made 175 minor league appearances in the organization, compiling a 2.45 ERA while striking out nearly one batter per inning (293 in 304).
He talks about his repertoire on the mound:
"Eighty-eight to 92 (miles per hour). Like to throw the changeup, with a breaking ball and a split finger. I just attack the zone and let (batters) get themselves out."
Gailey split last season between Single A and Double A, pitching in 45 games with a 3.41 ERA.
Francisco was acquired from Cleveland in the deal that first brought Cliff Lee to Philadelphia in 2009. His final appearance in a Phillies uniform was his most memorable, that three-run, pinch-hit home run in Game #3 of the NLDS that helped beat the Cardinals (top photo).
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