There’s no doubt that Gleyber Torres has wormed his way into the hearts of New York Yankees fans with his stellar performance this season. But just how impressive has he been?
Aaron Judge won the Rookie of the Year award for 2017. 2018 looks to be a year that another New York Yankees player will bring home the coveted award. One of those names in the conversation is Gleyber Torres.
The 21-year-old phenom has made jaws drop all across the sport with his maturity and smooth swing at the plate. All those years of waiting have finally paid off for the Yankees, as Torres looks like he’ll be a staple in the infield for years to come.
There’s no doubt he has been incredible in every facet of the game. While still young, he is already smashing records at every turn. However, perhaps the greatest thing about him is one of his obscure stats.
Torres wasn’t known in the minor leagues as a power hitter. However, as soon as he put on the pinstripes, that skill became a part of his resume. With 15 home runs this season, his power surge is something incredible to watch.
But it isn’t just the power that is impressive. It is what he does with it. He launches home runs but he also launches them when it truly matters.
Of his 15 home runs, Gleyber has hit eight solo shots. That means the other seven have occurred with runners on base, about 47 percent of his total.
That’s pretty impressive not just for a young player but for any player. In relation to some of his teammates, he is far better at this aspect of the game.
Take Aaron Judge, the reigning AL Rookie of the Year. Judge has 23 home runs so far in 2018 and only nine of those have come with men on base. For Judge, that means 39 percent of his total shots come with runners on.
What about Giancarlo Stanton, another power hitter in the middle of this killer lineup? Stanton has 19 home runs this year with only six of them coming with runners on. That is 32 percent.
Didi Gregorius is closer to Torres in terms of home runs with runners on base. However, Torres still has him beat, with Gregorius hitting six of his 15 home runs with ducks on the pond.
The home runs are impressive on their own. However, delving into the stats has made what he’s done even more impressive. That means he’s hitting his home runs when they truly count, when he can drive in more than one run.
That @Yankees' first inning … ?? pic.twitter.com/Tah4YGAieC
— MLB (@MLB) July 2, 2018
How about some more stats on Torres’ home run prowess? Well, let’s discuss the fact that five of his home runs have come when the game is tied. Also, six of his home runs have come when the Yankees are behind in the game.
Torres isn’t just smacking home runs whenever he feels like it. He is making the most of his shots and it is helping the Yankees immensely when it comes to this already impressive season.
We all know of the love affair between Gleyber Torres and the three-run home run (six of his bombs have been three-run shots). Now we know that he’s using his long balls to bring in as many runs as he can. And it’s working.
So forget about Torres the defensive specialist and Torres the singles hitter. Time to focus on the phenomenal job he’s doing at driving in runs with that newfound home run swing.
