Yankees' Torres quietly putting together strong playoff career

New York Yankees second baseman Gleyber Torres. Denny Medley-Imagn Images

Yankees' Gleyber Torres is quietly putting together a strong postseason career

By Aaron Case | Last updated 10/16/24

New York Yankees second baseman Gleyber Torres started his career with back-to-back All-Star seasons, posting an OPS well over .800 each of those years. He hasn’t been back to the Midsummer Classic in the five years since, and his OPS reached .800 — and not one point higher — just once in the same time period.

Torres is a free agent this offseason, and there’s no guarantee the Yankees seriously pursue him after his production drop-off. However, there’s one factor that could inspire Bombers General Manager Brian Cashman to pay up for Torres, even as they try to scrape together $600M or so to offer Juan Soto: Torres has a knack for hitting in the playoffs.

Gleyber Torres leadoff double! pic.twitter.com/hlHGwuVESW
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) October 15, 2024

The 27-year-old is off to a hot start in the 2024 postseason, with seven hits, a pair of doubles, and a homer in six games. Plus, after posting a career-high 136 strikeouts this year, he’s only whiffed four times. One of those Ks came in his final at-bat on Tuesday when home plate umpire Gabe Morales called him out on a fastball that appeared to be a few inches too high.

Over his playoff career, Torres is slashing .283/.377/.464 in 37 games, significantly higher than his career .265/.334/.404 regular season line. He’s also added six homers and 20 RBIs and he’s scored scored 25 runs.

If that output doesn’t seem like much, consider what it projects to over a 162-game season for context: close to 30 HRs, 85+ RBI, and 100+ runs scored. Not bad for a middle infielder.

Torres’ postseason performance might not be enough to keep him in pinstripes. But if he helps the Yankees win their first World Series since 2009, there will always be a special place in the Bronx for him.

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