SHAKING OFF THE RUST
Torres trying to do 'too much' as struggles pile up at plate
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — Some talent evaluators who have watched Gleyber Torres this spring believe the right-handed hitter isn’t finishing a swing that propelled him to the top of prospect lists throughout baseball.
Yankees hitting coach Marcus Thames, however, said Torres’ left elbow, on which he underwent Tommy John surgery last June, isn’t the reason Torres hasn’t looked good at the plate.
Asked if Torres wasn’t finishing his swing or wasn’t confident in letting it go because of the surgery, a scout who has seen a lot of Torres said, “It could be a little bit of both right now.’’
Thames offered another view before the Yankees’ 3-1 exhibition loss to the Braves Friday night at Champion Stadium.
“He is trying to get four hits in one at-bat, he just has to calm down,’’ Thames said of Torres, competing for the starting second base job, which is the only real position open on the team. “I told him, ‘Gleyber you can hit, don’t try to do too much. We know what you can do.’ He hasn’t played since June and he is a 21-year-old kid, so he is antsy.’’
Thames said he spoke with Torres on Friday and didn’t think rust was a factor or the reason he’s batting .150 (3-for-20) after going 0-for-1 with a walk.
“I told him to trust what he can do and that we know what you can do,’’ Thames said. “When he stays to right-center, he is really at his best. Right now he is jumping out there.’’
While Tyler Wade has played very well and draws praise from manager Aaron Boone seemingly daily, there are other factors working.
Torres has played just 55 games above Double-A, didn’t play from mid-June on last year and if the Yankees leave him in the minors until the middle of April, they will add a year of contractual control.
When camp opened, the Yankees explained that second base was an open competition with Wade and minor league invites Jace Peterson and Danny Espinosa joining Torres in the fray.
A big question as to whether the Yankees would start Miguel Andujar at third and Torres at second also hovered above the beginning of Boone’s first spring training. Third base was answered on Feb. 20 when the Yankees ac- quired Brandon Drury from the Diamondbacks in a three-way trade in which infielder Nick Solak and right-hander Taylor Widener were dealt. Though Drury played 111 games at second base and one at third last year, the Yankees were very clear they got the 25-year-old righthanded hitter to play third. He has appeared in 40 career games at third and 128 at second.
Even when Andujar seemingly got two hits in every at-bat in the first few exhibition games, Drury was going to be the third baseman because he has big league experience, the Yankees gave up two players they like a lot more than the industry does and Andujar requires more work on defense.
Beginning Saturday, there are 17 exhibition games remaining and it appears the second-base derby will go to the wire before Boone decides.
Talking about Wade on Friday, Boone said the left-handed hitter, who can play three infield positions and two in the outfield, had surpassed his expectations.
“He has made a little adjustment in his stance and I think he is a little more physical and added strength,’’ Boone said of the 23-year-old Wade, who hit .310 for Triple-A Scranton/ Wilkes-Barre last year and .155 in 30 big league games. “It looks to me there is a little more in there swinging the bat that maybe I anticipated. The organization raved about him and his range in the field and speed on the basepaths and that actually has even surpassed my expectations, too. There is real speed but he is really instinctive, too.’’