Gleyber of love in Bronx
ROOKIE’S HOMER CAPS COMEBACK
GLEYBER TORRES has been here two weeks and yet you get the feeling already he’s a guy the Yankees love seeing at the plate in a huge moment, with a chance to win the game. When the highly-touted 21-year-old arrived on April 22nd, in fact, Aaron Boone had said Torres wasn’t necessarily going to wow anyone with his skill set, or any specific tool, but would shine because he was such a complete player.
So after the kid on Sunday became the youngest player in franchise history to hit a walk-off home run, 41 days younger than when Mickey Mantle did it in 1953, Boone laughed and reconsidered his thoughts on Torres’ wow factor.
“The intangible thing with him might be his off-the-chart tool,” Boone said. “It seems like the bigger the spot, the bigger the situation, the better he is. He doesn’t flinch in that moment.”
Indeed, “poise” and “mature-beyond-his years” are the words Yankee people have been using to describe Torres’ potential since Brian Cashman pried him away from the Cubs in the Aroldis Chapman trade in 2016.
He delivered on those descriptions last week in Houston with a game-tying single in the ninth inning of a big win, but who knew he had a moment like this in him, capping a remarkable comeback with a three-run home run to give the Yankees a 7-4 win over the Indians.
For that matter, who knew Torres had this type of power? He hit his first home run on Friday night, turning on a breaking ball, but this was different, taking a slider over the fence just right of center field off Dan Otero, a sinkerballer that Boone described as “tough on righthanded hitters.” His teammates didn’t seem surprised. “Everybody knows what kind of talent Gleyber is,” Gary Sanchez said. “It’s not a secret. And he’s showing that he has some power.”
Torres has played brilliantly at second base as well, to the point where Boone calls him “a difference-maker on defense,” which on Sunday translated to an outstanding sliding play in shallow right field in the fifth inning to preserve what at the time was Domingo German’s no-hitter.
Is it just coincidence, then, that the Yankees are 14-1 since the kid showed up?
In some ways Torres seems to be the final piece to what could be a championship puzzle, providing that type of defense as well as another tough out near the bottom of a lineup that is leading the AL in runs scored.
Whatever the cause-and-effect, the Yankees sure look like a championship team these days, winning in every way imaginable against some of the best teams in the American League of late.
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Well, had who to be wouldn’t, hoping the right? moment Francona might be too big for a newly-arrived rookie.
Instead, Torres showed the poise the Yankees rave about, laying off some tough sinkers to work the count to 3-1, and after fouling off a sinker, got a pitch he could handle.
“That’s just a big-boy, mature at-bat,” Boone said. “And he hammered that ball.” Boone paused and smiled. “He’s done a lot of special things already.” With more of a wow factor than even the manager expected.