Yankees Ronald Torreyes Deserves to Start at Shortstop

The Yankees need to find a short-term solution at shortstop. There are possible replacements from the minors and at least one veteran in camp. But the Yankees need only look down their bench to find the right man, if not the biggest man, for the job. And that man is the diminutive Ronald Torreyes.

Yankees fans are probably pleased that the USA won the World Baseball Classic. But their enthusiasm is tempered as the tournament has temporarily taken one of their best players, Didi Gregorius. Now the Yankees have to choose a replacement, and there is no shortage of candidates.

Starting at the top, Brian Cashman and Joe Girardi could re-think their decision and promote Gleyber Torres. He certainly has the resume. Torres is a top-five prospect, became the youngest player ever to win the Arizona Fall League last year, and killed it in spring training.

Torres batted .448 and put up a 1.400 OPS; he picked up nine RBI’s and scored eight runs himself. He made a few errors to start the spring but then settled in and looked very comfortable making all the plays. Gleyber is without question a Yankees infielder of the future.

But the problem is he has never played above Single-A. Cash and Girardi know a player can be ruined if he is overwhelmed at a young age. Destroy his confidence, and they might turn the Next Big Thing into the Next Big Bust. Torres is not the answer.

Yankees Get Defensive

Tyler Wade is still in camp and doing an excellent job. He has shown he has the maturity to handle New York and the flexibility to play multiple spots. And his batting average and OBP look good–.342 and .375—but the rest of the numbers are underwhelming. Wade has no home runs, only scored eight times, and has one RBI.

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At least Wade has played at Double-A Trenton, which is a big jump over Single-A. But will the Yankees really let him go from starting in New Jersey to starting in New York? That does not seem like something the Joe Girardi I know will do.

That brings us to Ruben Tejada. He is probably the strongest contender to play every day. Girardi loves to lean on veterans who are strong defenders, especially at such an important defensive position. Tejada has always had a better glove than bat.

And would it have to be. Even though he has had a fine spring, hitting .281 and getting on base at a .351 clip while scoring 7 runs and driving in 4 more, he has history at the major league level. Tejada has a career .252 average but has only hit that, or above, once in the last four years.

And last year he batted roughly .170 in a shortened, 36-game season. Still, we are talking about a few weeks of the 2017 Yankees season, not the entire year.

Torreyes is Speaking Loud and Clear

Which brings us back to Ronald Torreyes. First, he has proven he can play the position defensively at a high level. And, second, while his slash is good for a defensive replacement (.258/.305/.374), some of his other numbers suggest a better than average player. 12 of his 40 hits were for extra bases, including 4 triples. He walked 10 times and only struck out 20, while scoring 20 runs.

He also has the versatility to play all the infield positions, which is a must. Finally, he has proven he can play at the big league level in New York. Torreyes always seems calm and under control out on the field, even when the Yankees were fighting to make the playoffs.

He doesn’t have the talent to be an everyday player and get 600 at-bats, but he knows how to get the most from his abilities.

Which is one of the most important reasons to give him shortstop. One of the biggest concerns is that Torreyes will wear down playing every day and have his offensive shortcomings exposed. But he has at least shown he deserves a chance to fail.

A Motivational Speaker

Alexander the Great once said that all things are possible to he who will try. With that mindset, Al was able to capture Egypt, subdue the Persian Empire and cut the Gordian Knot. All Torreyes has to do is bat .270 for three weeks. That doesn’t seem so hard in comparison.

Yankees Spring Training Report: A Look at the Veterans

But for the Yankees to win this year, the veterans have to play at a high level. And the message is clear: earn your contract or earn a ticket out of town.

Torreyes has earned the role of temporary starter. He is a better offensive player than Tejada and has more experience at the big league level than Wade. And, in keeping with the youth movement, it would be nice to see Wade get the back-up role. But my guess is that Wade goes to Scranton, Tejada takes over short, and Torreyes goes to the bench.

And that’s too bad. The Yankees keep saying that a player will tell them if he deserves a promotion. Torreyes spent all last year and this spring letting the Yankees know he is ready if a starter goes down.

But it seems as if the Yankees just aren’t listening.