2023 New York Yankees in Review: Gleyber Torres
Gleyber Torres
Position: Second Base
Bats/Throws: Right/Right
Age: 26
MLB Experience: 6 seasons (2018-present with New York Yankees)
2023 Stats (as of September 26): 154 GP, 654 PA, 88 R, 25 HR, 66 RBI, .272 AVG, .346 OBP, .457 SLG, .803 OPS, 119 OPS+, 123 wRC+, 3.2 fWAR, 2.9 bWAR
The 2023 New York Yankees saw a lot of below-average seasons from their players. Fortunately, Gleyber Torres was not one of them.
With five games left to play in the season, Torres will complete his best campaign since 2019. In fact, there is a legitimate argument that the 26-year-old second baseman is playing the best baseball of his career.
This may be a surprising take, as Torres established himself as a star in 2019 by hitting 38 home runs and posting a .535 slugging percentage, totals that he hasn’t approached since. However, when looking at his 2023 statistics, Torres seems to have a stronger all-around game than he did in that breakout season.
For starters, Torres has significantly improved his plate discipline this season, while also reducing his strikeout totals. In 2019, he drew just 48 walks while striking out 129 times, and last season he matched that strikeout total while only drawing 39 walks. But in 2023, with five games to go, Torres has walked 65 times and has only struck out 97 times, which will be by far his highest walk total and lowest strikeout total (not counting the pandemic-shortened 2020 season). With this better approach at the plate, Torres posted a strikeout percentage under 20% for the first time in a full season (at 14.8%), and his .346 on-base percentage is currently the best of his career (and will be if he finishes the season strong).
Torres has also managed to do this while still hitting the ball with authority. In the shortened 2020 season, his increased ability to get on base was offset by a surprising drop in power. The power returned in 2022, but his approach at the plate worsened. This year, Torres has made more consistent contact and improved his ability in getting on base, but the power has stayed with him, evident from the 25 homers, which is the second-most on the team behind only Aaron Judge.
Although his defense at second base has regressed, this hasn’t stopped Torres from effectively becoming a 3 WAR player (on both FanGraphs and Baseball Reference). The improvement with the bat has allowed him to shine not just among the Yankees, but among his peers at second base. He is one of just five second basemen to have an OPS above .800; the others are Luis Arraez, Ketel Marte, Ozzie Albies, and Marcus Semien (Jose Altuve doesn’t have enough at-bats to qualify as a league leader). He’s even added some speed to his game, tallying his third straight season with at least 10 stolen bases (although he sometimes makes questionable base running decisions).
The Yankees may have struggled in the second half, but Torres certainly isn’t at fault for that. After a respectable, if unspectacular, first half with a .738 OPS and 106 wRC+, the second half has been brilliant. Torres has scorched the opposition to a tune of .300/.371/.519 with 15 doubles, 12 homers, 30 RBI, 37 runs scored, a .379 wOBA, and a 146 wRC+, with five stolen bases for good measure. In August alone, he slashed .327/.410/.598 with a 179 wRC+. Consistency was an issue for Torres for three seasons after 2019, but in 2023, he’s been consistently good, and was even New York’s whole offense for roughly a month.
Overall, the 2023 season has marked the full maturation of Gleyber Torres; after spending three years looking to recapture a magical sophomore season, Torres finally rediscovered his power stroke all while making several improvements to his hitting approach. His defense and base running can use some improvements, but there’s no doubt that he can make those after putting such a strong effort into improving his hitting. Keep in mind that Torres is still only 26-years-old, so if he’s entering his prime, the best might be yet to come.
It will be interesting to see what the Yankees do with Torres, as rumors of a trade or a contract extension have swirled around him for years. Set to hit free agency in 2025, an even stronger 2024 season may be on the horizon if this season is any indication.
Grade: A
Next Player: DJ LeMahieu
