Gleyber Torres Is Still Chasing the 2019 Version of Himself

Things are looking up for Gleyber Torres at the moment. The New York Yankees‘ second baseman is holding down the leadoff spot for the current best team in the American League, with the postseason just weeks away.

He has really upped his game in the month of September in particular, hitting .340 with an .844 OPS. In fact, he’s been arguably the Yankees’ best hitter this month, posting a team-leading 0.4 fWAR and 142 wRC+.

But while Torres has stepped up, it’s important to remember where he’s stepped up from. His first half of the 2024 campaign was very disappointing, as he hit to the tune of a .226 AVG, .652 OPS and an 86 wRC+.

A tale of two halves in 2024 is just the newest chapter in the story of the inconsistent career of Gleyber Torres. He has spent the past five years chasing the form he showed in 2019 when he posted a career-high 125 wRC+ while also putting up a career-best .871 OPS and .278 AVG.

So, as Torres and the Yankees prepare to embark upon their return to October, and Torres himself also prepares to enter free agency for the first time, here’s why fans (and MLB executives) must look beyond Torres’ recent hot stretch when forming expectations for him beyond 2024.

Stats updated prior to games on September 15.

Gleyber Torres Has Just Been Average in 2024

Despite his stronger second half of the season, Torres has been an average (teetering on below-average) hitter in 2024.

With a 98 wRC+, 1.2 fWAR, 13 HR, 57 RBI and a slash line of .250/.326/.365, he’s not exactly turning heads like he has on and off throughout his seven-year big league career.

And it’s been more mediocre than outstanding when you break his season down month by month:

The most glaring drop-off Torres has displayed in 2024 is that he’s reverted into someone who once again has struggled to hit for power.

His .365 SLG as it stands right now would be his lowest slugging rate in his career. It would also make this the first time since back-to-back seasons in 2020 and ’21 that he’s fallen below a .400 SLG.

It’s Not Just 2024 – Torres Has Continually Been Chasing 2019

In his sophomore MLB season, Torres put together arguably the best season of his career. As mentioned, he posted career-high totals in wRC+, AVG, SLG, OPS, HR and RBI and put up the first of two 3.0+ fWAR seasons he has had in his career.

This was a follow-up season to an impressive rookie campaign in which he managed to post a 2.5 fWAR and 121 wRC+ while hitting .271 with an .820 OPS. That was good enough to land him third in 2018 AL Rookie of the Year voting behind Shohei Ohtani and Miguel Andujar.

But since those two seasons, Torres has only been able to replicate those statistics in one-off instances.

He hasn’t had a 30+ HR season, 90 RBI season or slugged over .500 since 2019. He’s also recorded just one 120+ wRC+ season, one .800+ OPS season and one season in which he hit over .270 since his career-best year in 2019.

While he hasn’t been a bad player by any means, he hasn’t been consistent enough to string together multiple great seasons like he did early on in his career.

The Underlying Metrics Leave a Lot To Be Desired

There are multiple aspects of Torres’ game that don’t necessarily reflect the mildly above-average stat lines he’s put up throughout his career.

Batted Ball Data

For starters, the batted ball data for Torres is not great. He’s had just one lone season (2022) where his hard-hit rate ranked above the 50th percentile among MLB hitters. And since 2019, Torres’ 2022 season was the only one in which he posted a barrel rate above the 50th percentile.

This has resulted in low expected slugging metrics at points in his career.

And looking at his contract season in a vacuum, you can forget the 50th percentile mark. Torres ranks in the 35th percentile or lower in xSLG, hard-hit rate, barrel rate and average exit velocity.

Approach at the Plate

It’s a tall task to figure out what sort of approach Torres will have in any given season.

This season, he’s displayed an excellent chase rate and above-average walk rate. Last season, he ranked above the 70th percentile in K-rate, walk rate, chase rate and whiff rate. But two seasons ago, he fell in the 60th percentile or lower in all of those categories.

The lack of consistency in his approach makes it extremely difficult for fans and those who work in baseball to determine just what sort of hitter Torres is going to be in any given year.

Torres Lacks Defensive Ability and Versatility

It’s not an understatement to say that defense isn’t Torres’ strong suit. In 2024, he currently sports a -7 outs above average total, which ranks in the fourth percentile.

And for his career, he’s never produced a positive total in outs above average and has only ranked above the 20th percentile once in his career (2022).

The greater problem is the fact he’s seemingly glued to second base, having last appeared at another position in 2022, when he played just 15.0 innings at shortstop.

It’s not just his lack of defensive capabilities that has isolated him to one position and limited his versatility.

When the Yankees traded for Jazz Chisholm Jr. ahead of this year’s trade deadline, the idea was reportedly floated of having Torres play some third to make space in the lineup for the converted 2B/CF Chisholm without having to make him learn yet another position.

But Torres reportedly refused, saying that he didn’t feel comfortable playing third, having only spent minimal time at the position in the minor leagues in the past.

With how poor Torres is defensively, it’s not a shock to hear him admit the thought of playing third was something he was unwilling to pursue.

Yet, in an age when lineup construction has become so variable, the ability to show that he could play other positions in a pinch could’ve gone a long way to increase his value in the eyes of potential suitors this offseason.

Why do you think players like Cavan Biggio continue to find MLB roles? And why do you think Tommy Edman was so coveted at the trade deadline despite not playing a single game in 2024 prior to landing with the Dodgers?

Today’s MLB values versatility, so in Torres’ case, if you can’t defend well, you must at least have the ability to move around the diamond.

What To Make of Gleyber Torres Moving Forward

My point is not to say that Torres doesn’t have value. In fact, I think he’ll end up making a decent chunk of change over a decent term with whoever signs him in the offseason.

However, given the strong stretch Torres is currently having, it’s important to remember to not get too caught up in his current form.

There’s no doubt that Torres has played an immense role post-All-Star break for the Yankees, especially considering the disappointing second halves that everyday pieces like Giancarlo Stanton and Alex Verdugo have been having, relative to their first half performances.

But 2024 has been nothing if not a microcosm of Torres’ career as a whole, a representation of a player who’s lacked consistency to put it in its simplest form.

All I’m trying to argue is when the lights are shining the brightest and the once prized prospect Torres is out there batting leadoff for the most recognizable MLB franchise in the world, just remember to look at the big picture and temper expectations accordingly.

Because although he’s at a high now, history shows his lows can be very low.