Although the Yankees are still negotiating to retain midfielder DJ LeMahieu, the team still plans to rely on Venezuelan Gleyber Torres to defend the short field.
Bombers general manager Brian Cashman drew attention at the start of the offseason by noting that Torres “wasn’t in the best shape” to start Summer Training and that he projects himself better as an intermediary who with torpedo boat.
There is no doubt that Torres ’return to his natural position was fraught with hurdles after making nine mistakes during the regular season and one in the postseason, to record -9 runs saved on defense. Although the Bronx team expected Torres ‘glove to be a drop compared to Didi Gregorius’, the biggest surprise was on offense, after Torres shook just three homers in 136 innings.
Like Dominican receiver Gary Sanchez, Cashman is set to rule out the brief 2020 weird season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The expectation is that a healthy Torres will return to the level he proved with the bat in 2019 while continuing to work with infield coach Carlos Venezuelan Carlos Mendoza to polish his fieldwork.
However, it is also important to point out again that Torres is barely 24 years old with a fairly bright future.
“More than one criticism was to highlight one fact: He didn’t get to training in good shape,” Cashman said recently. “We spent the first 30 to 45 days working to get it back to its level, but when we got it, it looked like it was in 2019. I think the pandemic was difficult … For some it created circumstances that some were able to resolve better I think Gleyber Torres is an elite player. “
Bryan Hoch / MLB.com