Gleyber Torres' awful baserunning making Yankees podcaster lose faith in him, calls for benching grow amidst slump
When the New York Yankees re-signed infielder Gleyber Torres to a one-year deal worth $9.95 million this past offseason, fans were glad to have a proven producer back in their lineup.
A native of Venezuela, Torres finished third in AL Rookie of the Year voting after hitting .271/.340/.480 with 24 home runs and 77 RBIs in 2018. The following season, Torres hit 38 home runs and 90 RBIs to be named to his first AL All-Star team.
Ahead of the 2023 season, the New York Yankees had some infield complications. Unpopular 2022 shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa was in the midst of being dethroned by 2019 first-rounder Anthony Volpe. However, Gleyber kept hold of his role at second base.
While Gleyber Torres is having a good season, with 12 home runs and 30 RBIs, some recent plays have caused his viability on the starting lineup to be called into question. On June 25, in a game against the Texas Rangers, Torres, who was on second, sped around third on a pop-up that was caught in the shallow outfield by Rangers shortstop Marcus Semien.
Another baserunning blunder for Gleyber Torres. Inexcusable. #Yankees
https://t.co/J1zzNpmpyX
"Another baserunning blunder for Gleyber Torres. Inexcusable." - Bronx Bombers News
Currently, Torres has more home runs than any other second baseman in the AL and is hitting a decent .246 on the year. However, his play both on the basepath and defensively has been called into question.
Earlier this month, Torres made another key defensive error fielding a groundball against the New York Mets, and another base running error against the Seattle Mariners even more recently. Once renowned for his fielding, some believe that it is now time for the Yankees to give Gleyber a rest.
We’ve learned that accountability is not something the Yankees will be considering this season https://t.co/kZvptXIiut
"We’ve learned that accountability is not something the Yankees will be considering this season" - Talkin' Yanks
On a recent episode of the popular Yankees podcast "Talkin' Baseball," guest Joez McFly stated that perhaps Gleyber Torres needs to sit out a few games.
"If you publicly embarrass the team, maybe you deserve to share some of that public blame."
Gleyber Torres is still an important part of the Yankees team
Since losing Aaron Judge to injury in early June, fans of the New York Yankees have been very tense. They know that their team has developed an over-reliance on the star.
While nobody can deny that Gleyber Torres has had some real head-scratchers lately, there are probably still more benefits than drawbacks to having him on the field.