*Ferociously knocks on wood*
Gleyber Torres has been a wildly polarizing New York Yankee ever since the 2020 season. Fans very much wish that weren’t the case, but the 2018-2019 days are gone. Despite his awfully poor contract year, he could still end up playing a very important role for the Bombers in 2024.
Torres’ best offensive groove has come in the last few weeks, and it’s been when he’s featured in the leadoff spot. Admittedly, when manager Aaron Boone made that switch, we weren’t happy about it, but we also realized there was no clear-cut solution because of DJ LeMahieu’s disappearance and Anthony Volpe’s consistent offensive struggles.
It turns out Torres just needed a little bit of time. In addition to seeing more pitches and working counts atop the lineup, Torres is hitting .254 with a .687 OPS across 33 games (157 plate appearances). He has three homers, 13 RBI and 15 walks. He’s only seen similar production from the seven-hole, which is probably the most viable spot for him as a lineup lengthener with less of a spotlight.
Torres has seen a surge in his offensive production in August, hitting .276 with a .720 OPS. Since being placed in the leadoff spot on a permanent basis on Aug. 16, he’s hitting .278 with a .728 OPS. It gets even better if you just look at Torres’ last 12 games.
Though we can’t expect that to remain a constant, it’s possible we’re watching Torres finally settle in at a crucial juncture in the season and in a role where the Yankees have desperately needed a steady presence.
Gleyber Torres might finally be rewarding Yankees’ faith in leadoff spot
It hasn’t been eye-popping by any means, but Torres hit homers in back-to-back games (his first in a month) last Sunday and Monday. At that point, he logged four multi-hit games since batting first, which came in the span of 11 days (and added another this past Monday night). He walked nine times over 11 days (Aug. 16 – Aug. 27) . His last nine-walk stretch came over a 21-game span.
Again, it’s a small sample size. And we’re obligated to report on positive progress in shorter spans if we’re going to do the same when players struggle. But outside of Volpe’s early-season surge as the team’s leadoff hitter, the Yankees haven’t seen semblance of consistency in their efforts to set the table for Juan Soto and Aaron Judge. Torres hasn’t exactly changed much because the Yankees still can’t get in a groove, but this is at least the best we’ve seen since May.
Though Torres is unlikely to remain a Yankee beyond this year, he could finish his tenure in New York with a memorable run as the lineup’s frontman, especially if the team can make a special sprint this October. It would further complicate his Yankees legacy, but every fan would love to see such a redemption arc for the embattled slugger.
