New York Yankees: Gleyber Torres will have his chance at the spotlight in 2018

The New York Yankees have a top prospect who will get his chance to shine in 2018.

For the New York Yankees, 2017 was the year of prospects. Farm hands Luis Severino, Gary Sanchez, and Aaron Judge not only took leadership of Yankees respectively in their own right but they also put the league on notice that the Yankees may be young but they’re coming for baseball supremacy. If the future wasn’t already bright it just got brighter as #1 overall prospect in baseball Gleyber Torres is expected to compete for a position on the big league club sometime next year.

His rise was delayed after suffering a torn UCL in his left elbow after sliding awkwardly into home in a Triple-A SWB game back in June. The highly touted prospect who was acquired in a trade deadline deal with the Chicago Cubs in 2016 was expected to battle with Starlin Castro and Chase Headley for a position either at 3rd or 2nd base. One thing for certain is that the young phenom is on track, enjoying a speedy recovery and resuming baseball activity.

https://twitter.com/MiLB/status/909499175431270401

https://twitter.com/TorresGleyber/status/920686972523474944

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Torres, who’ll turn 21 in December allows the Yankees to entertain several possibilities with his ability to be a key addition to the already young, formidable pieces they currently have in Luis Severino, Gary Sanchez, and Aaron Judge. Barring any injuries and a full season under his belt, Greg Bird can be added to the list as well. By placing Torres at 2nd base the Yankees can entertain trades for Starlin Castro who is a below average defender and a complete no-show offensively in the postseason when the Yankees needed him the most.

Castro became a defensive liability in 2017. He graded out as a below average defender according to UZR (-5.9), DRS (-6), and Total Zone (-4). This isn’t a good sign for Castro’s fate with a 2018 Torres call up looming. If the Yankees decide to accept Castro’s defensive woes and put Castro at third base they can either look to move Chase Headley or let Todd Frazier walk as a free agent. The latter doesn’t seem likely after all, with Frazier looking to come back to New York with a team friendly deal. In just three short months he turned into a fan favorite with the thumbs down symbol being one of the many epic memories from an unexpected but great 2017 season.

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Either way, Torres will be making his presence felt in 2018. There’s only so much longer the Yankees can keep a major league ready talent like his in the minors. Thankfully, with break out seasons from Gary Sanchez and Aaron Judge, the Yankee all-stars can take Torres under their wing and share knowledge on how they were able to be effective in their first full season in pinstripes. Until his inevitable call up we’ll be forced to sit back and watch Twitter/YouTube videos of the top prospect. If he’s remotely close to where scouts project him to be, the 2018 Yankees will be a very scary young team. With Torres in the fold the future is incredibly bright.

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