(This story originally appeared in the 2017 New York Yankees Official Yearbook)
As I write this, Gleyber Torres is injured, and out for the rest of the 2017 season, which is a shame, because I can’t wait to see what happens when New York gets to know this kid. Acquired by the Yankees in the 2016 trade that sent Aroldis Chapman to the Cubs, Torres was said to be a stud, but as someone who pays incredibly little attention to midwestern teams’ farm systems, I didn’t really know anything about him other than what I could see on his Baseball-Reference page.
But in August, soon after the trade, I headed down to Tampa to meet with him and some of the other newly acquired prospects. And I was absolutely blown away by his poise, his maturity, his savvy. After he posed for a bunch of photos, he asked the photographer to let him see them. It was a small move — most guys just want to move on as quickly as possible, but he cared about how he looked. It didn’t come across as vain, just a kid in control.
Similarly, during the photo shoot, we were hanging out at second base (when I’m not interviewing, I’m often helping out by holding a light or something else in these situations). We were making easy small talk in English, just a normal conversation. Torres, from Venezuela, didn’t even appear to be struggling. But when it came time to sit down for the actual interview, he called over a translator. Again, he wanted to be perfect. I have no doubt that he would have been just fine doing the interview in English, but I totally respected the fact that he wanted to do it his way. I think that as long as translators are available, players should use them if it makes them comfortable.
Anyhow, no one should care about how Torres behaved toward me the first times I met him. But I honestly think that it was indicative of a guy who just won’t settle for anything other than perfection, and if he’s that way with interviews, I expect him to put similar work into what he does on the field. Watching him at the Arizona Fall League a few months later, and then during spring training this year, the impression stuck.
I figure he’ll be competing for a role with the big club when spring camp opens in 2018. I hope so. I really can’t wait to see him play in New York.
Hope you’ll enjoy.