Yankees May Have Given Former All-Star Second Chance
In June, Detroit Tigers second baseman Gleyber Torres earned praise as a free-agent steal . Heading into September the former New York Yankees All-Star is the "most indispensable ‘under-the-radar’ player" among America League playoff contenders.
That's according to The Athletic's Jim Bowden.
"After signing a one-year, $15 million contract in the offseason, Torres has delivered for the Tigers exactly as they hoped, getting on base, hitting for power and moving the chains," Bowden wrote Friday. "He’s posted a 110 OPS+ and been worth 2.1 WAR, according to Baseball Reference. He doesn’t chase out of the strike zone, ranking in the 98th p ercentile in that category. He’s also in the 90th percentile or better in xwOBA, xBA, squared-up percentage and walk rate.
"The Tigers needed to increase the traffic for the middle of their order; Torres and his team-leading .359 on-base percentage have helped with that," Bowden added.
"Gleyber sets the tone for our lineup every night. His at-bat quality has become contagious on this team," Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris said, according to Bowden.
Torres is hitting .262 this season with 13 home runs and 60 RBIs while earning praise for his clubhouse leadership.
It's been a tremendous bounce-back season for the 28-year-old, who earned his third All-Star nod in July. He first went to the Midsummer Classic as a rookie in 2018 and returned to the game the following season.
But after slugging a career-high 38 home runs for the Yankees in 2019, it was all downhill for Torres, who saw his power numbers dip over the next five seasons.
He finished the 2024 campaign with 15 home runs and a career-worst 136 strikeouts. And it wasn't just Torres' bat that gave the Yankees fits. He led American League second basemen with 15 errors in 2023 and 18 in 2024. Between the poor fielding and inconsistent hitting, the Yankees felt comfortable letting Torres walk as a free agent last winter.
That could have been the best thing to happen to Torres.
Consider this quote last month from The Athletic's Jayson Stark: "Sometimes, the smartest thing a player can do is market himself outside of the New York glare."
“Gleyber has made himself the most money, right?” an American League executive told Stark. “Gleyber bet on himself with the one-year deal. And if he does this again in the second half, he’s going to get paid.”
