Gleyber Torres: the new promise of Latin American baseball

With only 21 years, Gleyber Torres is a candidate for the Rookie of the Year award of the Major Leagues, an award that only two other Venezuelan baseball players have achieved

Venezuelan baseball does not stop supplying talented players with baseball in the big leagues, and Gleyber Torres is the new and most evident proof of that. The 21-year-old Latin American athlete born in the city of Caracas has been surprised to become the offensive spark plug of the New York Yankees, who in this half of the season remain solid at the top of the Eastern Division of the American League.

Leer en español: Gleyber Torres: la nueva promesa del béisbol latinoamericano

However, is Gleyber the future star of Latin baseball? Does he has the tools to stay in the big tent and become a reference for the world's baseball? Here we tell you about the positive variables that the Venezuelan baseball player has and his real possibilities to make the difference within the discipline.

1. Youth: divine treasure

Currently, Gleyber is the second youngest player in the Big Show.Just 25 days separate him from the youngest baseball player in the championship, the Curacoan Ozzie Albies of the Braves, who is also 21 years old. However, beyond the youth, the Venezuelan has shown unparalleled performance.

According to the website Lasmayores.com, the official Latin version of the MLB, Gleyber is one of the calls to crown as Rookie of the Year, and the numbers published by the portal endorse it. His average of .287 with 49 hits, 14 home runs and 34 runs batted in since his call to the big team in April 2018, make him the most regular men in the New York cast.

Similarly, we must understand that despite the demanding fans of the Yankees and men of much more weight as Aaron Judge, Clint Frazier and Giancarlo Stanton, among others; Torres has never been overshadowed when it comes to showing his performance and contribution in the line up.

2. Man of records

For the same reason of being a player of young age, Gleyber has given himself the luxury of breaking all kinds of parameters since he was promoted to the majors, which gave him the opportunity to inscribe his name in the record books. This happened after he hit four consecutive homers in his first four games with the Bronx, a record that no player in history had ever achieved.

However, Gleyber's thing is not just to hit and his glove ratifies it. With 47 appearances in the second base and one in the shortstop, the Venezuelan has only eight errors, a figure that at his age and before the requirement of the League is more than acceptable.

You can also read: The Latin 'Astroboy' José Altuve: the shortest player bats the most in the Major League

3. Recognition of his manager

Much is the confidence and recognition that has been seen by the team of The Big Apple with Gleyber, starting with his manager Aaron Boone, who has repeatedly said that he is pleasantly surprised with the potential of his player.

In statements published by the newspaper Líder en Deportes of Venezuela, the helmsman of the Yankees said: "Torres has a great ability to adjust in full turn. I feel like we've seen that about him for a long time. He can look bad with a pitching but then adjusts and turns it IGNORE INTO a favorable turn."

"I'm not trying to hit homers. I just want to put the ball in play. It's kind of weird. The truth, is difficult to explain," continued Gleyber himself, in an interview with Líder en Deportes, thanking of course the trust given by his coach and colleagues.

4. History on his back

Two of the most important names in Latin American baseball are: Luis Aparicio and Oswaldo Guillén. They, in addition to having been figures that stood out first as athletes and then as managers, keep a common fact: both are the only Venezuelans to get the Rookie of the Year prize in the big tent. Aparicio won it in 1956 and Guillen reached it in 1985. Later, and even though Venezuela has managed to have great players, no other Venezuelan has achieved it.

However, Torres can turn this duo IGNORE INTO a trio. He has the numbers, he has the confidence of his team too. He just need to maintain his consistency in the field to become the third baseball player in Venezuela to get the coveted award, and why not, see him very soon as one of the great references of the sport.

LatinAmerican Post | Freddy González

Translated from "Gleyber Torres: la nueva promesa del béisbol latinoamericano"