While Derek Jeter was one of the greatest Yankees of all time, there is a possibility that Gleyber Torres could turn out being even better.
On April 21, Gleyber Torres was called up to the big leagues. It was one of the most highly anticipated call ups in recent memory and came at a time when the Yankees were underperforming with a 10-9 record. Well, we are almost one full month in to the “Gleyber” era and here is why we should be liking what we are seeing.
Through 21 games, The Yankees are 18-3 with Gleyber Torres lacing up the pinstripes. Torres is batting .324, has an OBP of .372, and an OPS of .865. So just how good are these numbers? Lets put them in perspective: Starlin Castro never had an OBP of over .338 or an OPS of over .792 in his two full seasons as the Yankees second baseman.
In fact, you would have to go back to the 2013 season, when Robinson Cano (who made the news this week, for other reasons) had a more impressive slash line at second base than what Gleyber Torres has done through 21 games.
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However, upon Gleyber Torres being called up to the Yankees, were we really looking to compare him to Starlin Castro or Robinson Cano? No, we were not. Instead we were all hoping to find our next “Derek Jeter”.
After all, Gleyber Torres and Derek Jeter do have some things in common. For starters, they both burst on to the major league scene quickly. Both Gleyber and Derek were top prospects in the organization, played less than 40 games in Triple-A, and made their big league debut in pinstripes at age 21.
On the flip side, Derek did not acclimate to the big leagues as fast as Gleyber has. Derek’s .250 BA, .294 OBP and .669 OPS through his first 21 games is inferior to Gleyber’s. Yes, this is a small sample size and we know the type of career Derek Jeter ended up having, but stick with me here.
While Derek Jeter was known as having the clutch gene, did you know his first career walk off HR came in his 7th season in the big leagues? Gleyber’s first walk off HR came in his 15th game in pinstripes against an elite closer (Cody Allen). Okay, that’s enough, truth is, it is too early to compare the two and probably unfair to do so.
However, we saw Gleyber Torres as the “next” potential Derek Jeter from the moment we were made aware of him. Therefore, if you would like to compare them right now, you would have to be all smiles and hopeful that the Yankees have something special here for the next two decades.
Now, if Gleyber Torres wins the ROY this season and a World Series in the 2018 or 2019 season, I may just have a second leg to stand on.