Gleyber Torres’ home run streak was snapped at four games and the rookie second baseman made a costly error in Saturday’s 11-4 loss to the Angels, but his importance to the Yankees remains.
The 21-year-old never hit more than 11 homers in a minor league season, so the Yankees have been caught off guard by Torres’ recent display of power. He became the youngest player in AL history to hit homers in four straight games and has gone deep nine times in just 29 games.
Asked if he thought it was sustainable, general manager Brian Cashman said: “I don’t know. I hope so. The power dimension he’s added in the past three weeks — not added, is demonstrating — it’s been a blessing. I hope it continues for us because it’s obviously impacting our win column.”
The Yankees’ fortunes changed almost as soon as Torres arrived from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, and there’s certainly been a correlation.
“I’m impressed,” Cashman said before the game. “How can you not be? Offensively and defensively, how he’s conducted himself. Obviously, we’re in a battle for the division … and he’s one of the big reasons why we’re able to hit that win column. We need everything we can get, and it’s been a welcome addition to the table for us.”
Torres, acquired in the 2016 deal that sent Aroldis Chapman to the Cubs at the July trade deadline, also has played well at second, but he’s lengthened an already deep lineup.
“He always had a high ceiling,’’ Cashman said. “We’re excited we got him and have him. It’s nice to see him hitting that ceiling as early as now. … He’s just a hell of a baseball player. He can impact a game in so many different ways and now he’s showing it can be power, which is to our team’s benefit.”
Aaron Boone also was at a loss to explain Torres’ homer surge.
“He’s got a really mature approach [at the plate] and sometimes you see that with players that are really good, sometimes they get to the big leagues and it’s like, the better the competition and skilled the pitchers they’re facing, sometimes the better they are,’’ the manager said.
He looks significantly different than he did during spring training, when he was an early cut to minor league camp. At the time, the Yankees were confident Torres was just rusty from having missed the second half of last season following elbow surgery to his non-throwing elbow and that more reps would get Torres going again.
It appears their thought process was correct.
“Power comes at different times in people’s career,’’ Boone said. “It’s started to happen with Gleyber. The mechanics of his swing and why he is such a big prospect project that he will hit for power. Whether it’s the rate he’s going, I’m not sure about that.”
That’s unrealistic, but Boone is confident he’ll be consistent at the plate.
“When he’s controlling the strike zone and in good counts, he’s impacting the ball,” Boone said. “He’s hit some balls that have taken me back, just how far he’s hit balls the other way, straightaway center field, even to left. It’s legit power. You understand why he was so highly thought of.”
