Gleyber Torres is widely considered the No. 1 prospect in the Cubs’ system. And if he’s not at the top of a publication’s list, he a close second to catcher Willson Contreras.
After a slow start with High-A Myrtle Beach, Torres has hit safely in eight of his last 10 games with five multi-hit games during that span.
Torres exceeded expectations a year ago with Low-A South Bend. Torres was a lot better defensively than expected and batted .293/.353/.386 with 24 doubles, five triples and three home runs for a .739 OPS before he was sent to High-A Myrtle Beach to finish the season. Torres helped the Pelicans nail down the Carolina League Championship.
The Cubs sent Torres to Myrtle Beach at the end of Spring Training. Torres picked up where he left off last season at the High-A level, which in this case was not a good thing.
In seven games for the Pelicans at the end of the regular season last year, Torres was 4-for-23 with a walk and seven strikeouts (.174/.208/.174). A very small sample size carried over to April.
Torres hit .179/.289/.308 in his first 21 games with five doubles, a triple and a home run for a .597 OPS.
The 19-year old shortstop started figuring things out at the end of April and he’s put together an impressive stretch at the plate.
Over his last 11 games, Torres is 16-for-45 with two doubles and three home runs for a .356/.408/.600 slash line with a 1.008 OPS.
Torres went 2-for-5 with a walk, a run scored and two RBI in the Pelicans’ 11-3 victory over Frederick on Saturday night. Torres launched his fourth homer of the season on Friday night, a three-run shot to right.
Scott Kornberg pointed out that three of Torres’ four home runs have gone out to right field. His longball Friday was Torres’ third dinger in nine games.
Pelicans’ manager Buddy Bailey recently told MiLB.com that the biggest difference in Torres has been the patience he’s showing at the plate. Bailey thinks Torres was trying to do too much early in the season. Torres expanded his strike zone and was chasing. Bailey said Torres’ pitch selection has gotten better, and the warmer weather has also helped.
For the season, Gleyber Torres is hitting .244/.331/.415 with seven doubles, a triple and four home runs for a .746 OPS. Torres has 15 walks, 35 strikeouts and 16 RBI in 132 at bats, plus he’s swiped five bases in 32 games.
Gleyber Torres has certainly adjusted to the Carolina League. It will be interesting to see how he fares once the league adjusts back to him.