The Yankees’ double play combination is growing closer than ever

New York Yankees, Gleyber Torres
Sep 23, 2018; Bronx, NY, USA; New York Yankees second baseman Gleyber Torres (25) at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

Before spring training began, New York Yankees’ shortstop Gleyber Torres, who was coming off a disappointing season in 2020, asked the coaches to be paired on the back fields and in the batting cages with second baseman DJ LeMahieu.

Torres wanted to absorb the most possible baseball knowledge from LeMahieu, who is known for his strong defense and obvious offensive talent. The latter re-signed with the Yankees this year for the next six seasons.

“That first year, DJ was a man of few words,” Torres said to MLB.com. “Now he’s really open with me. I feel like he’s my older brother. I feel really confident right now playing with him. We have the best conversations. DJ is a really complete player. He just wants to win games.”

From a chemistry standpoint, knowing that the Yankees’ double play combination are fostering their communication is fantastic, even if the in-game impact is minimal.

Both Torres and LeMahieu are long-term pieces for the Yankees

Torres is thrilled to have LeMahieu on the Yankees for a really long time, as both players are seen as long-term pieces in the puzzle.

“DJ has done everything in both leagues; National League and now in the American League,” Torres said. “He’s amazing. If he does something, I need to learn the same things he is doing. I think there’s nothing better than to have DJ’s example, so I just try to learn everything possible.”

LeMahieu doesn’t mind Torres looking up to him. “He mentioned to me this spring that he wanted to pick my brain a little bit,” the star infielder said. “Just kind of, ‘Let’s work together this spring more.’ And we got to know each other better and we’ve really worked a lot this spring. He’s working hard and he’s doing really good, so I’m excited to see him finding his legs in his routine.”