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Yankees: 3 players NYY need more from in second half of season

By Thomas Carannante

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 08: Gleyber Torres #25 of the New York Yankees is congratulated by DJ LeMahieu #26 after scoring a run against the Tampa Bay Rays during the eighth inning in Game Four of the American League Division Series at PETCO Park on October 08, 2020 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 08: Gleyber Torres #25 of the New York Yankees is congratulated by DJ LeMahieu #26 after scoring a run against the Tampa Bay Rays during the eighth inning in Game Four of the American League Division Series at PETCO Park on October 08, 2020 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /
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Gleyber Torres #25 of the New York Yankees (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images) /

1. Gleyber Torres

What has happened to Gleyber Torres? Do you think even Gleyber Torres knows what’s happened to Gleyber Torres? His fall from grace has been one of the most confusing Yankees fans have ever seen.

The former Cubs top prospect who came over in the Aroldis Chapman trade got his career in the Bronx off to a hot and wildly successful start. In his first two MLB seasons, he was named an All-Star and clubbed 62 home runs across 267 games. Incredible. Immediately determined to be a franchise cornerstone for the next decade.

Until…

He moved to shortstop on a full-time basis. Did that have more to do with his struggles than we’re thinking? Again, we don’t know, but he’s hit six home runs in the 111 games since. He’s hitting .242 as opposed to .275 prior. He’s OPSing .681 as opposed to .846. In the end, we can sit here and say he’s going through a rough season since it’s only been 111 games, but there’ve been two long breaks in between with the pandemic and this past offseason. There’s been ample time to diagnose whatever’s going on. It’s not like he’s been stuck on repeat and thrown onto the field for 111 straight games with no break and no outlet to get back on track.

The good news? He’s striking out way less, he’s not chasing pitches out of the zone, and he’s walking a decent amount. The bad news? He’s not hitting strikes. He doesn’t seem to know what’s coming. He’s making incredibly weak contact (bottom 6th percentile of the league).

The insane part is that the Yankees don’t even need All-Star Gleyber Torres right now. They just need a fundamentally sound version of him on defense and an average version of him on offense. That would change so much right now.

Hopefully that’s what’s in store for the second half. We’re really not asking for much.

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