Awakening from an Extended Slumber

Among the Yankees nagging issues since the 2020 season began was the offensive decline of Gleyber Torres. Let's be blunt; he cratered.

How does someone -- considered a can't miss prospect - go from two seasons of averaging .275, 31 homers and 84 RBIs to the 2020-'21 numbers of .242, 8 and 48?? It's as if the baseball gods substituted the 1950s Joe Morgan for the one enshrined in Cooperstown.

Shifting from 2nd base to shortstop has been cited as a factor. But before being sent to the Yankees (in the 2016 Aroldis Chapman trade), Torres was a minor league shortstop. And he didn't struggle with the bat.

This weekend, we finally saw some positive signs from the still just 24 year old. Important home runs in Saturday's and Sunday's wins over the Red Sox. OK, that's just two games -- but two crucial ones that kept the Yankees season from totally flatlining. 

The Yankees are in one of their most challenging sections of the schedule; next up are a pair at home with the contending Phillies, followed by three more with Red Sox at Fenway and three with the Rays at the Trop. 

These eight games, leading up to the trade deadline, should tell us a lot more about the destiny of this year's Yankees and what can reasonably be expected from Gleyber Torres.


 

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