Rookie has been Torres de Force batting out
(2-3, 3.35) vs. (7-1, 2.35) vs. (3-3, 5.48) (4-3, 3.31) vs. (5-2, 4.95) Yes, his OPS is even better than Judge’s, the Yankees’ road trip on Wednesday Sanchez’s and Giancarlo Stanton’s. night. “I just try to put the ball in play
He has hit eight homers — seven of and have a good at-bat.” ARLINGTON, Tex. — This was the hype them going over 400 feet, four of them Perhaps the most incredible thing surrounding Gleyber Torres last spring. coming in the last three games in Texas. about Torres’ star production? It has all
“He can be the star that everybody He has the same amount of RBI as come from the No. 9 spot in the lineup. talks about,” an NL scout told me for a reigning AL MVP Jose Altuve — 22. The In a way, it feels like malpractice for an February 2017 story. “He’s that good.” only difference is Altuve has played 50 analytics-heavy team like the Bombers
Fifteen months later, after overcoming games this season to Torres’ 27. And to bat its best OPS hitter last, but so far it season-ending Tommy John surgery on the Bombers are 20-6 since No. 25’s arhas worked wonders — the lineup never his left elbow and knocking off all of the rival (due to the suspended game in really ending with Torres at the bottom rust that came as a result of being out for Washington). of it. It just continues to pound opposso long, Torres is living up to every bit of Torres’ power has surprised seemingly ing pitchers. the hype, the latest Baby Bomber to take everyone — including himself. He con“No, I don’t think so,” Torres replied baseball by storm. siders himself a contact hitter, suggestwhen asked if he’d ever hit ninth at any In 2016, it was Gary Sanchez. ing he’d need to hit “a lot” of homers to level in the past. “I’m good in that posiIn 2017, it was Aaron Judge. change that. His season-high for homers tion. The manager controls that. I’m just In 2018, it’s Gleyber Torres. in the minors was 11 in 2016 (125 games). glad to have an opportunity to do my The 21-year-old rookie secondjob.”base-“Inevertrytogoupthereandhita man leads the Yankees with a .998 OPS. home run,” he said following the end of Aaron Boone has contemplated the idea of moving Torres up — possibly even to the leadoff spot against left-handed pitching. Still, the manager isn’t ready to mess with something that has worked as well as it has just yet.
“I mean, I feel like (the No. 9 spot) on our team, it’s a more valuable slot in our order,” Boone said. “I feel like with our guys at the top I just feel like it’s an important slot in the order. That said, I’m always considering a time when to move him up but I just think he’s been so dynamic down there it’s just seemed like such an important part of the order that I really like him down there for now.”
Torres, a natural shortstop, has also shined defensively at second, making tough plays look easy — the same way Robinson Cano used to. The days of missing Cano — who is currently serving an