Gleyber Torres’ New York Yankees Debut Could Happen In 2017 (Report)
All the hype is surrounding New York Yankees top prospect Gleyber Torres and he could reportedly hit “The Show” in 2017.
“Gleyber Mania” is about to hit an all-time high.
According to NJ Advance Media, top New York Yankees prospect, Gleyber Torres, is being “groomed” to take over as the Yankees’ starting third base at some point in 2017.
[sc name=”Yankees Link Related” link=”https://elitesportsny.com/2017/05/31/alex-rodriguez-joins-abc-news-as-a-contributor/” text=”A-Rod Joining ABC News as a General Contributor” ]Torres, who was called-up from Double-A Trenton to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on May 22, owns a .260/.366/.447 slash line with five home runs and 11 doubles between both levels. Considered by scouts to be one of the best prospects in the game with the ceiling of an All-Star, the natural shortstop has registered 89 innings at third base this season.
New York gave him a taste of big league camp in Spring Training this year, where MLB Pipeline’s second-best prospect went 13-for-29 (.448) with two home runs. Scouts rave over Torres’ quick hands that not only allow him to shine at the plate, but in the field as well. Many project him to have the ability to hit 20-plus homers on an annual basis when he hits his prime.
As for what this news means for third baseman Chase Headley, NJ Advance Media reports that the switch-hitter would be reduced to a utility infield role. Since April 29, the 33-year-old is slashing .160/.210/.223 with no home runs and has watched his OPS drop from .966 to .673.
Despite the struggles, however, reports indicate that Headley will be kept for the remainder the season because the club envisions him as a serviceable veteran in a bench role. He doesn’t come off the books until 2019.
Before the hype takes an unrealistic turn, however, it should be mentioned that Torres has struggled with pitch recognition in Triple-A and is 6-for-26 (.207) with a double and three RBIs. This situation only occurs if the 20-year-old won’t be overwhelmed in the Bronx. Yes, he’s a super prospect, but we’ve seen time and time again where prospects are hurt by being rushed into the majors.
[sc name=”Yankees Links” ]
Nonetheless, if Headley’s struggles continue, so will the pressure of getting one of the best prospects in the game up. Perhaps it’s too early, but this just goes to show you that the Yankees’ organization is fully committed to the youth and will do their very best to assess them at the major league level as soon as possible.
[sc name=”Yankees Link Next” link=”https://elitesportsny.com/2017/06/01/what-does-brett-gardners-surge-mean-for-the-new-york-yankees/” text=”What Does Brett Gardner’s Surge Mean For The New York Yankees?” ]
Christian Kouroupakis covers the New York Yankees and is the Editorial Director for ESNY. Interact with him and view his daily work by “liking” his facebook page and follow him on Twitter. All statistics are courtesy of Baseball Reference.com unless otherwise noted. Don’t hesitate to shoot him an email with any questions, criticisms, or concerns.
