Gleyber Torres

2.1.1. Minor league career

Torres made his professional debut in 2014 with the Arizona League Cubs in the Rookie-level Arizona League. His strong performance, including a .273 batting average and 29 runs batted in (RBI), led to a late-season promotion to the Boise Hawks of the Low-A Northwest League. In 50 combined games for both teams, he posted a batting line of .297/.386/.440 with two home runs.

In 2015, Torres started the season with the South Bend Cubs of the Single-A Midwest League, where he recorded a .293 batting average and 62 RBIs. His consistent performance earned him a promotion to the Myrtle Beach Pelicans of the High-A Carolina League in September. Across 126 games and 487 at-bats for both teams, he hit .287/.346/.376 with three home runs and 64 RBIs.

Entering the 2016 season, Torres was recognized for his promising talent and was ranked as the 28th overall prospect by MLB.com. He began the 2016 season with the Myrtle Beach Pelicans.

2.2.1. Trade and minor league development

On July 25, 2016, Torres was traded from the Chicago Cubs to the New York Yankees as part of a package deal that included Adam Warren, Billy McKinney, and Rashad Crawford, in exchange for relief pitcher Aroldis Chapman. He joined the Yankees organization, finishing the 2016 season with the Tampa Yankees of the High-A Florida State League. For the combined 2016 High-A season, he batted .270/.354/.421 with 11 home runs and 66 RBIs.

After the 2016 regular season, the Yankees assigned Torres to the Scottsdale Scorpions of the Arizona Fall League (AFL). At just 19 years old, he was the youngest player in the AFL. He had an exceptional performance, batting .403 in 76 at-bats with a .513 on-base percentage and a 1.158 on-base plus slugging (OPS), which earned him the AFL Most Valuable Player award, making him the youngest player in history to receive this honor. Following the 2016 season, Baseball America ranked him as the Yankees' top prospect.

Entering the 2017 season, Baseball America listed Torres as the fifth-best prospect in all of baseball. After hitting .448 with two home runs in 29 at-bats during spring training with the Yankees, Torres started the 2017 season with the Trenton Thunder of the Double-A Eastern League. In April, he was placed on the seven-day disabled list due to rotator cuff inflammation. The Yankees promoted Torres to the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders of the Triple-A International League in May. However, in June, while sliding headfirst into home plate (despite the Yankees' emphasis on feet-first slides for safety), he tore the ulnar collateral ligament in his non-throwing left elbow. On June 19, it was determined that the injury required Tommy John surgery, ruling him out for the remainder of the 2017 season. He concluded the 2017 season with a combined batting line of .287/.383/.480, seven home runs, and 34 RBIs across both teams. Following the season, the Yankees added him to their 40-man roster.

Entering the 2018 season, MLB.com ranked Torres as the fifth-best prospect in baseball and the top shortstop prospect. During spring training, he competed for a spot on the opening day roster but was optioned to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on March 13, 2018, to begin the year. While playing for the RailRiders, he had a strong start, batting .347 in 14 games. On April 22, he was unexpectedly pulled from a game after six innings, initially believing it was a disciplinary action, but was then informed of his promotion to the Major Leagues.

2.2.2. Major League debut and 2018 season

Torres made his MLB debut on April 22, 2018, starting at second base against the Toronto Blue Jays, going 0-for-4. The following day, against the Minnesota Twins, he recorded his first MLB hit. On May 4, Torres hit his first career home run off Josh Tomlin of the Cleveland Indians; at 21 years old, he became the youngest Yankee to homer since John Ellis in 1969. Two days later, against the Indians, Torres hit his first career walk-off home run off relief pitcher Dan Otero, securing a 7-4 victory for the Yankees and becoming the youngest Yankee to hit a walk-off homer.

On May 21, against the Texas Rangers, Torres achieved his first multi-homer game, hitting two home runs in a 10-5 Yankees win. On May 25, he hit a home run in his fourth consecutive game against the Los Angeles Angels, becoming the youngest player in American League history to accomplish this feat at 21 years and 163 days old. For the week ending May 27, Torres was named AL Player of the Week, having hit .368/.429/1.158 with five home runs and nine RBIs. On May 29, he hit a walk-off single to defeat the Houston Astros in extra innings. He was also named American League Rookie of the Month for May, with a slash line of .317/.374/.659, 13 runs, 26 hits, nine home runs, and 24 RBIs.

On July 4, Torres was placed on the 10-day disabled list due to a right hip strain. Despite the injury, his strong first half, batting .294 with 15 home runs, 42 RBIs, and a .905 OPS over 218 at-bats, earned him his first selection to the 2018 Major League Baseball All-Star Game. However, he did not play in the game. For the week ending September 2, Torres was again named AL Player of the Week. On September 29, Torres hit the Yankees' 265th home run of the 2018 season, surpassing the 1997 Seattle Mariners for the most home runs by a team in a single season. This home run was also the 20th hit from the 9th spot in the batting order, making the Yankees the first team in history to have at least 20 home runs from every batting position in their lineup. Torres finished third in the balloting for the American League Rookie of the Year Award, behind Shohei Ohtani, who won the award, and Miguel Andújar.

2.2.3. 2019 season

Following the 2018 season, Gleyber Torres signed a one-year contract with the Yankees. In his sophomore season, on April 4, 2019, Torres became the fourth youngest Yankee to record four hits and three extra-base hits in a single game since Joe DiMaggio did so in 1936. In that game against the Baltimore Orioles, Torres went 4-for-4 with a double, two home runs, and four RBIs. On June 19, 2019, Torres hit his 39th career home run and his first career grand slam off Oliver Drake of the Tampa Bay Rays. He hit his second career grand slam on August 2, 2019, against Eduardo Rodríguez of the Boston Red Sox. On August 12, Torres hit his 13th home run against the Orioles, setting a record for the most home runs by a player against a single opponent in the divisional era. On August 22, Torres hit his 30th home home run, making him only the second Yankee, alongside Joe DiMaggio (who hit 46 in 1937), to hit 30 or more home runs in a single season at age 22 or younger.

On July 9, Torres was announced as an American League All-Star for the second consecutive time. In the All-Star game, he recorded one hit in two at-bats. His 38 home runs for the season made him only the second middle infielder, after Alex Rodriguez, to achieve this feat before turning 23. He also became the third Yankees player, after DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle, to hit at least 20 home runs in two different seasons before the age of 23. Torres finished the 2019 regular season batting .278 and continued his strong performance into the 2019 American League Division Series, where he batted .417.

On October 13, 2019, Torres became the youngest second baseman in MLB history to record at least four RBIs in a postseason game, and the third youngest overall (after Mickey Mantle and Tony Kubek). He also became the youngest player ever to record at least five RBIs in a postseason game. Torres concluded the 2019 season with 38 home runs and a .535 slugging percentage. He finished 17th in the MVP voting for 2019, with his teammate D.J. Lemahieu finishing fourth.

2.2.4. 2020 season

In the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, Torres transitioned to starting shortstop following the departure of Didi Gregorius to the Philadelphia Phillies. He started 40 of the team's 60 games at shortstop. However, he struggled defensively, leading all AL shortstops with nine errors. Offensively, he slashed .243/.356/.368 with three home runs and 16 RBIs in 42 games, a decline from his previous seasons.

2.2.5. 2021-2022 seasons

In 2021, Torres continued as the Yankees' starting shortstop but struggled significantly. He recorded 18 errors while playing shortstop and posted a Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) of -10, indicating poor defensive performance. Offensively, he slashed .259/.331/.366 across 459 at-bats, with nine home runs and 51 RBIs, a noticeable drop in production compared to his first two seasons. Due to his defensive struggles, the Yankees moved Torres back to second base in September.

For the 2022 season, the Yankees acquired Isiah Kiner-Falefa to play shortstop, solidifying Torres's role at second base. In 2022, he batted .257/.310/.451 in 526 at-bats, hitting 24 home runs and driving in 76 RBIs, showing an improvement in his offensive numbers.

2.2.6. 2023 season

The 2023 season began with rumors circulating about the Yankees' potential interest in trading Torres. Despite these rumors, the Yankees and Torres avoided arbitration, agreeing to a one-year contract worth 9.95 M USD on January 29, after Torres initially sought 10.20 M USD and the team offered 9.70 M USD. On April 3, during a game against the Philadelphia Phillies, Torres hit his 100th career home run, a solo shot to right-center field. This milestone made him the seventh youngest Yankee of all time to reach 100 career home runs. For the 2023 season, Torres finished with a .273 batting average, 25 home runs, 68 RBIs, and 13 stolen bases. His performance earned him a nomination as a finalist for the Silver Slugger Award.

2.2.7. 2024 season

In the 2024 season, Gleyber Torres was a key contributor for the Yankees, helping the team reach their first World Series appearance since 2009. During Game 1 of the World Series, Torres was awarded an automatic double due to a fan interfering with the baseball. After the Yankees ultimately lost the World Series to the Los Angeles Dodgers, Torres became a free agent.