With all of the injuries that have occurred to the New York Yankees this season, certain players have stepped up to carry the offense. One of these players was the Venezuelan middle infielder Gleyber Torres.
Torres is having a breakout campaign, showing Major League Baseball exactly what he can do. The Yankees’ second baseman/shortstop is entered July 4th slashing .298/.365/.543 with a .908 on-base plus slugging percentage, while also hitting 19 home runs with 50 runs batted in and 54 runs scored.
His amazing numbers on the year somehow did not get him into the All-Star Game.
Many Yankees fans felt that Gleyber was snubbed, but it is not only fans that felt this way. When asked about how he felt about the situation, Yankees’ manager Aaron Boone had this to say:
Aaron Boone on Gleyber Torres' all-star worthiness: "I think its a joke he's not on that team. Gleyber Torres is not an all-star? You can kick rocks on that. It's ridiculous. […] It doesn't seem right to me that he's not on that team."
— Lindsey Adler (@lindseyadler) July 3, 2019
Aaron Boone said what many people were thinking, and what many had already said.
The American League starter at second base was Los Angeles Angels second baseman Tommy La Stella, who was deservedly an All-Star. The 30-year-old is having a great season so far, putting up a .300 batting average, a .353 on-base percentage, a .495 slugging percentage, an .848 on-base plus slugging percentage, and he has hit 16 home runs with 44 runs batted in and 49 runs.
There is no doubting that La Stella should have been an All-Star with his numbers, and they are relatively close to Torres’, showing how Torres should have been an All-Star.
La Stella went down with a fractured tibia after fouling a pitch off of his right leg during the Angels’ 9-4 win over the Texas Rangers on July 2nd.
On July 3rd, the MLB named Tampa Bay Rays second baseman Brandon Lowe to the American League All-Star team in place of the injured Tommy La Stella.
Gleyber Torres should have been who replaced La Stella for a multitude of reasons.
In one more game than Brandon Lowe has played this season, Gleyber Torres has a better batting average, on base percentage, slugging percentage, on-base plus slugging percentage, more home runs, and one more run batted in than Brandon Lowe.
In addition to these statistics, Gleyber Torres is hitting .412 (28-68) with runners in scoring position, which is much better than Lowe’s .278 average with runners in scoring position.
And on July 4th, Gleyber was finally named to the American League All-Star team. The Tampa Bay Rays optioned Brandon Lowe to the 10-Day Injured List because of a right-shin bruise, retroactive to July 3rd.
As a result of these two injuries, Gleyber Torres is deservedly an American League All-Star. He has helped carry the Yankees’ offense over the first half of the season, and even though he was overlooked in the beginning, he is finally being recognized for the way he is playing.
Featured Image: Brad Penner-USA Today Sports
