Only 26 years previous, Gleyber Torres doesn’t take into account himself a veteran.
“I feel the same younger way,” the six-year professional informed the Daily News, however he’s now not among the many Yankees’ youngest gamers. That group has been headlined by Anthony Volpe, 22, and the lately demoted Oswaldo Cabrera, 24. Other pinstriped contributors this season, together with Oswald Peraza and Jhony Brito, additionally predate Torres, who debuted at age 21 in 2018.
“He’s like the veteran young guy,” Cabrera informed The News. “When you say veteran, that doesn’t mean you have to be an old guy.”
While Torres can debate his veteran standing along with his youthful friends, there’s no denying that the second baseman has proven indicators of development this season. At the plate, that’s meant well-documented changes to his method, which has yielded higher strikeout and stroll charges and the next on-base share.
But Torres has additionally proven extra management this yr, a improvement that hasn’t gone unnoticed by Yankees gamers, coaches and personnel — even when he downplays that characterization, too.
“He’s just kind of adopted it and kind of looked around the room and been like, ‘Well, I’ve been here longer than this guy, this guy, this guy,’” Aaron Judge, the Yankees’ captain, informed The News. “No one ever tells you, ‘Hey, now you’re gonna be a leader.’ It just kind of organically happens, and he’s stepped right into that role perfectly.”
For Torres, management has come within the type of chatting up and hanging out with the likes of Volpe, Cabrera and, when he’s been round, Peraza. Cabrera and Peraza share Venezuelan roots with Torres, giving them one thing in widespread. Torres mentioned that he’s related with Volpe, too, as the 2 arrived within the majors with related expectations as prime prospects.
“He always is giving me tips about the game,” Cabrera mentioned, including that bonding classes have occurred over dinners and resort FIFA matches. “He always is talking with me about the pitcher, whatever situation’s happening, inside and outside of the field. He’s always talking with me as a leader.”
Volpe mentioned that Torres’ “even-keel” demeanor has had a “calming” impact on the rookie, whereas Aaron Boone added {that a} maturing Torres can “relate to a lot of what these guys are going through, especially Anthony. So he’s using his experience in a valuable way now.”
Judge talked about that Torres’ potential to talk English and Spanish permits him to translate for youthful Latin American gamers on and off the sector.
The approach Torres sees it, he’s simply attempting to make issues “a little easier, like people did for me from the beginning.” Those individuals included Judge, Brett Gardner and CC Sabathia, who acknowledged that making younger gamers really feel comfy benefited your entire crew.
Torres couldn’t agree extra.
“It’s really good as a player when you come into the huge teams as a younger guy and everybody gives you the confidence to play your game and don’t worry about anything, just play,” he mentioned. “That is a huge deal for me. So I think for the younger guys right now on the team, we try to do the same thing.”
While Judge famous that management roles occur organically, bench coach Carlos Mendoza mentioned that the Yankees anticipated Torres to be extra of a mentor this season.
Mendoza thought Torres’ imperfect journey might assist the crew’s neophytes, as his profession has included prospect hype, quick success, disappointing seasons, place modifications and commerce rumors. Torres isn’t that previous, as Mendoza reiterated, however he has skilled rather a lot.
“He’s been through some ups and downs,” Mendoza mentioned. “He knows what struggles feel like, the highs, the lows. He’s making sure he shows the way to some of the younger guys that are new to the league.”
Not that he would have been anticipated to at such a youthful age, however Torres didn’t essentially should play a management function in years previous. Older gamers like Gardner and Sabathia commanded the clubhouse on the finish of their careers, whereas Judge honed the talents that made him the Yankees’ captain. Others, similar to Marwin Gonzalez and, earlier in Torres’ profession, Didi Gregorius, performed an element in shepherding younger Spanish-speaking gamers.
Torres was a kind of gamers. Now he’s on the opposite aspect of it, even when he says, “I don’t feel like a leader.”
“I’m just always hoping to help,” Torres mentioned, including that he’s nonetheless studying himself.
Ask Judge, nevertheless, and Torres is being modest.
“He may only be 26,” Judge mentioned, “but he’s starting to become that veteran presence that we need in this clubhouse.”
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Source: www.bostonherald.com