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New York Yankees infielder Gleyber Torres has finally been named to the American League All-Star team as an injury replacement for Tampa Bay Rays second baseman Brandon Lowe.
Torres was also an All-Star in his 2018 rookie campaign, though he finished third in American League Rookie of the Year balloting behind teammate Miguel Andujar and eventual winner, two-way sensation Shohei Ohtani.
While the Yankees have battled a long-running injury crisis, Torres has been one of the consistent performers. Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton have been absent, Didi Gregorius has only recently returned to the team, but the former top prospect has been a stalwart of the Yankees offence.
Defensively, Torres’ versatility has been handy. He’s filled in at shortstop when required and plays a solid second base.
His .820 OPS in 2018 was more than impressive for a rookie. In 2019, he’s hovering around the .900 mark and is on course to go well past 30 homers as the Yankees continue to break dinger records.
Torres’ walk rate has increased from 8.7% to 9.7% and he’s barrelling the ball more frequently. This, from a once can’t miss prospect, is a scary sign for the Yankees rivals. Torres took no time to adjust to the Major Leagues, and he’s making adjustments to improve despite breaking into the All-Star team in his first season.
Acquiring Torres when the Yankees were only giving up half a season of Aroldis Chapman was a robbery. It was even more remarkable for the fact that the Yankees then re-signed Chapman.
There was uproar – including from Aaron Boone – about Torres missing out on an All-Star selection. He’s in the team now, though, and this could be the start of a long run of successive All-Star games for the 22-year-old middle infielder.
Alongside the raw power of Judge and Stanton, and next to the incredible season DJ LeMahieu is having, Torres is sometimes the forgotten star of this Yankees team. That won’t last long.
He continues to develop as a hitter. The former Cub is well on his way to becoming the undisputed best second baseman in Major League Baseball.
