No Derby for Torres
Star rookie would turn down invitation
Gleyber Torres says he’ll pass on competing in the Home Run Derby next month, and that goes down as a loss for baseball, even if everyone outside New York might not necessarily agree.
“I’m not a home-run hitter,” the Yankees’ dynamic rookie told The Post on Wednesday, before his team continued its series against the Mariners at Yankee Stadium. “I’m a contact hitter.”
While there had been no known contact between Major League Baseball and Torres about his Derby participation, the baseball folks surely would have been intrigued had Torres expressed interest.
As well they should have. In this era of launch angles, Torres’ 14 homers through Tuesday’s action tied him with 11 other players for a modest 26th place in baseball. Though that’s not really the point, is it?
First of all, Torres does present a bit of a numerical case. Through Tues- day’s games, no player had as few plate appearances (192) and as many homers as did Torres. And Torres’ average home-run distance of 404 feet qualified him in the sheer strength department.
Second of all, the Derby, which has become eminently more watchable since revising its rules in 2015, should not feature the season’s top eight homer leaders. It should prioritize entertainment — and entertaining narratives — over ensuring statistical fairness. That’s why MLB absolutely should invite the legendary Ichiro Suzuki, released by the Mariners but not retired, to be an entry, as Seattle manager Scott Servais contended to MLB Network Radio on Wednesday.
A Yankees rookie trying to capture a second straight Derby title? Yeah, that would have worked.
The defending champion, Aaron Judge, won’t participate after seriously injuring his left shoulder in last year’s Derby; while he didn’t go on the disabled list, he struggled greatly following the All-Star break and he underwent shoulder surgery after the Yankees lost the American League Championship Series to Houston. Nevertheless, Judge said he wouldn’t discourage any of his teammates from following in his footsteps.
“I had a blast doing it. I really enjoyed it,” Judge said. “But the ultimate decision comes down whether they want to do it or not.”
Yankees manager Aaron Boone witnessed the Derby multiple times as an ESPN analyst. Asked whether he would be concerned if any of his players entered the competition, he said, “I think that’s an individual thing. I wouldn’t stand in the way. If a guy was hurt or something, I may not want him to, but for the most part, [I’d be OK with it].”
Judge didn’t necessarily want this mantle, yet his experience from last year has silenced those Derby shills who pooh-poohed the notion that competing carried any risks. The Yankees’ right fielder has the scar to prove the potential downside of electrifying the sport for a day.