From GLEYBER DAY to .. GLEYBER PAINS.
From his MLB debut in late-April, playing like a can’t miss / untouchable / mega-prospect to whispers of .. what’s wrong with Gleyber Torres ?
What IS wrong with Gleyber ?
Let’s take a look at his stats (source: espn.com)
When you look at the way Gleyber exploded onto the scene in late-April you can understand why he was considered “untouchable”. Add to the offensive stats of April & May the fact that Gleyber was just as impressive, if-not more impressive, on the defensive side of the ball. His range, sure-handedness and strong throwing arm impressed me more than his bat. On top of all of that he also had the “clutch gene”, coming up with big hits at big moments in games.
Gleyber missed 3 weeks of play in July with a strained hip. Coming off the DL after the All-Star Break, Torres is 6 for 33 in 10 games, with 3 extra base hits, and 11 K’s. But in addition, the regression has been more than just in the batter’s box. There was a bad base-running mistake last Saturday against the Royals, when he made the first out at 3rd Base. Then he followed that up with 2 defensive plays against the O’s where he didn’t cover 1st Base on a bunt & 2nd Base on a potential force play. He also allowed a ball to get under his glove in a game that cost his team a run against the Red Sox. In this crucial series he is 0-9 going into the 4th and final game.
When asked about his hip he says .. ” I feel good. The first games back I felt rusty, but that went away.”
Gleyber Torres is so extremely important to the success of the 2018 Yankees. Proof of this is the Yanks started off slowly with a 9-9 record while the Red Sox stormed out to a 17-1 record, and it is no coincidence that the Yankees went on a 17-1 tear of their own just when Torres was called up from the minors. He gave the team a spark offensively, hitting 9th in the order and he solidified the infield defense with gold glove-calibre play. In my opinion, there is no position player MORE important to the team. The reason I say that is because of all the hitters in the power-laden lineup, he is the one player that has the ability to hit for a high average. He hit .324 through April and May. That is what is missing on this team. I have marveled at Gleyber’s approach at the plate. I’ve seen him swing for the fences on the first 2 pitches of an at-bat, and then cut down on his swing on a 0-2 pitch and stay back on an off-speed pitch and serve it into center or right-center. That’s hitting. That’s situational hitting. Unfortunately he is the only hitter in the lineup I have seen take that approach numerous times. The Bombers lead all of MLB (by far) with 175 Homers (Red Sox are 5th with 150), but the Yanks are 11th in batting average at .254 while Boston is 1st with a .269 team BA. Speaking of Boston, they have a 78-34 record, and now lead the Yankees by a season-high 8 1/2 games. The Yanks have a very respectable 68-41 record (3rd best in the A.L.) but have lost 6 of 10, hit a rough-patch, and desperately need to get back on their winning ways. They have struggled on both sides of the ball. Their pitching has been inconsistent, but they addressed that at the trade deadline by adding Britton, Happ, and Lynn. When it came to the offense, no deadline moves were made (and correctly so), despite the fact that Judge & Sanchez are on the DL. This is why Torres is so important. He needs to get back to that “untouchable” young star.
Again, the important question becomes .. What is wrong with Gleyber Torres ?
I have my theories, so let me start back in June. If you look at Gleyber’s stat splits, you will see that his batting average/on-base% dropped from.325/.380 in May to .245/.294 in June. My theory here is that the Yankee PR dept. kept pumping out HR stats comparing the start of his career (14 Homers by the end of June) at 21 years old to Mantle and DiMaggio. Torres, “reading his press clippings”, started “trying” to hit home runs and got into bad habits.
Then in July came the hip discomfort, and the revelation that this has been a condition he has had for years. Was this something the Cubs knew about, and the reason they were willing to trade him ? Let’s hope not !!
There is also the mental / emotional side of the equation. We saw 3B Coach Phil Nevin rip into the team on the bench. That was the game that Torres made the 2 lax defensive misplays vs. the O’s, and there is little doubt most of the anger was directed towards Gleyber. Is he now sulking about it? Is he wondering why he is not getting away with something that Gary Sanchez seems to get away with ?
Getting back to the hip, is it still hurting him, and he doesn’t want to admit it ? That might explain why he doesn’t cover as much ground defensively as he used to, or why he doesn’t seem to bust it out of the box all the time. Could the left elbow that had TJ surgery be hurting him? How about the right wrist ? He was hit by a pitch back on June 3rd. He stayed in the game but it was a scary looking HBP (that is when the Batting Avg. slide started). I am throwing these scenarios out there because Torres’ body language just doesn’t look right. To further my point .. remember when Gleyber first came up, he always had that big smile on his face, both on the field and in the dugout ? Do you see that smile anymore ? If he is playing in pain or even in discomfort, that could wipe the smile off his face. Playing in pain plus the fear that the injury could worsen. That would be my first guess.
If Torres had his feelings hurt from getting ripped by his coaches or manager privately, that could also be a reason. I don’t think that’s what it is, but if it is, he better grow up .. QUICKLY.
If healthy, we need to see the April/May Gleyber. We need to see the “untouchable” Gleyber. We need to see the player who was named to A.L. All-Star team at 21 years old. We need to see the smile back on Gleyber’s face. The team desperately needs him, and they need that player … RIGHT NOW !!
The Yankees have struggled since the beginning of July, and have to concern themselves with not only trying to dig out of an 8 1/2 game deficit in the AL East behind the Red Sox, but also have to look in their rearview mirror and see that the Oakland A’s are now only 5 behind the Yanks in the loss column for the first WC spot.
If we see #GleyberDay in August, by Labor Day in early September, with Judge & Sanchez already back in the lineup, the Yankee offense will be feeling no pain. When it comes to pitching, the additions made at the trade deadline of Britton, Happ & Lynn will help tremendously .. provided that Luis Severino, just like Torres, finds the success he had earlier in the season. If all that happens, there will be smiles on the faces of everyone in Yankee-land !!
Keep the faith fellow die-hards
As always,
Go NYY !!
