It’s not a secret to anybody that Gleyber Torres, the New York Yankees’ shortstop, hasn’t been very good on offense or with the glove right out of the gate. And while his bat remains dormant with a .208 average, no homers and only two RBI, his defense has improved after a few early-season miscues.
Yankees’ infield coach Carlos Mendoza knows that the season is long and Torres still has some work to do to gain the consistency he wants to showcase, but said he thinks Gleyber has made strides and it’s because he has been working hard to improve.
“He seems like he’s settling in now and being more steady making the routine plays,” Mendoza said to the Yankees official site. “We’d like for him to continue to trust the work, continue to trust his preparation in going out there and playing his game — having fun and making sure that he is showing his ability. It goes back to trusting the work and having that aggressive mindset of making plays.”
Gleyber’s most evident talent is hitting, and that part of the game should eventually come. But defense has been a challenge for him in his young career, not being viewed as a plus shortstop at any point.
The Yankees hope Gleyber can be at least an average shortstop
However, the Yankees hope he can be at least average out there, with work, discipline, and reps. After a rocky first few games to open the campaign, he seems more comfortable making the routine plays.
The Yankees infield coach also said that he thinks Torres was trying to do too much on the field, trying to be perfect at all times instead of letting the game flow naturally. But he is still working on things.
“Once we get our lineup from the other team, he’s going over the plus runners, potential stolen bases, guys that are going to be running balls out of the box,” Mendoza said. “As a shortstop, you’re pretty much involved in every play, every pitch — especially if there’s runners on base. Those are the little things that we’re working on.”