Gleyber Torres might by no means once more hit 38 house runs, as he did in 2019.
However that doesn’t imply he can’t be nearly as good — or maybe even higher — on the plate than he was in that All-Star season.
The Yankees and Torres have talked since spring coaching concerning the second baseman utilizing his decrease half extra. That's one thing hitting coach Dillon Lawson additionally pointed to as a cause Torres has been decidedly extra productive than within the earlier two seasons, when he appeared like a distinct hitter than when he emerged as one of many prime younger gamers within the sport in 2018-19.
He had a extra difficult leg kick and switch in his swing than most and a few of that went away in current seasons.
“Gleyber reached a sure degree and did what he did in ’18 and ’19 and in an effort to get higher total, I’d say most likely unintentionally, to attempt to open up extra components to the sphere sort of reduce off his [leg kick and turn] and it turned much less,’’ Lawson stated. “We all know that’s how he creates bat pace. Not everyone wants the identical factor and what Gleyber wants doesn’t work for everybody, but it surely works for him.”
The outcomes have adopted. Torres has been strong all yr, however particularly in July.
Torres went 1-for-4 with a stroll and run scored, however did floor right into a double play within the tenth inning with the bases loaded through the Yankees’ 5-4, 11-inning loss to the Pink Sox on Friday. Regardless of the tough night time, Torres is 19-for-48 (.396) with a homer, eight RBIs, six walks and 10 strikeouts in his previous 11 video games.
The shifting components Torres has in his swing are a part of what make him profitable, based on Lawson.
“He’s created a means the place all of it syncs up and the timing is all deeply ingrained so he doesn’t have to consider it,’’ Lawson stated. “If he quickens it up or does an excessive amount of else, it doesn’t assist him. It really hurts. So we wish him to be snug as a result of it’s what makes him who he's.”
There’s additionally the consolation degree of being again at second base and the results of the cortisone shot Torres acquired on his proper wrist on June 27.
It has all added as much as a Torres the Yankees hadn’t seen for a lot of 2020 and final season, when he went from seeking to be a cornerstone of their lineup and infield to a participant who might by no means attain these heights once more.
And Lawson famous that a few of his numbers — comparable to strikeout fee — are higher now than they have been when Torres was seemingly at his greatest. Scouts consider it’s a mix of things.
“Pitchers made changes and he was most likely sluggish to regulate to them,’’ one AL scout stated. “However you'll be able to see the distinction this yr, from the actual fact he’s been fairly good at second base, so he doesn’t have that on his thoughts, to the actual fact he’s a extra skilled hitter and has picked up and discovered from a few of the slumps he went by way of earlier than.”
These years, when he had a 96 OPS-plus, that means he was under common offensively, have grow to be extra of a reminiscence. His 134 mark to this point this season is definitely one of the best of his profession, since numbers have dropped throughout the league since Torres’ 2019 breakout.
“For him, getting him again to this strategy is like driving a motorcycle,’’ Lawson stated. “His plate self-discipline really superior yearly, regardless of the manufacturing [dropoff] and now he has a extra superior strategy. We need to let him put all of it collectively and get out of the way in which.”
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