Yankees making Gleyber Torres earn starting second base job

Gleyber Torres is the Yankees top prospect and one of the best minor leaguers in baseball. However, the Yanks won’t just be handing him the starting second baseman job in 2018.

When the New York Yankees traded Starlin Castro to the Miami Marlins in the Giancarlo Stanton deal this offseason, it was assumed that Gleyber Torres would take over at second base in 2018.

Torres, who was acquired from the Chicago Cubs in the Aroldis Chapman trade in 2016, is the Yankees No. 1 prospect and the No. 5 prospect in all of baseball, according to MLB.com.

He’s expected to be a superstar and a perennial All-Star and likely would have made his major league debut in 2017 if he hadn’t injured his left elbow sliding into home, which required Tommy John surgery. However, if Torres is going to win the starting second base job out of spring training, the Yankees are going to make him earn it.

When Castro was traded, Torres was not guaranteed to be his replacement. Torres was the most talented option but he would have had to battle Ronald Torreyes and Tyler Wade. Thairo Estrada was also a dark horse candidate for the second base job.

Since then, the Yankees have continued to add to the second base competition. They signed utility infielder Jace Peterson to a minor league contract in early January. Then in late January, the Yanks signed middle infielder Danny Espinosa to a minor league contract. Both players received invitations to big league spring training.

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Talent-wise, Gleyber Torres shouldn’t have a problem beating out Torreyes, Wade, Estrada, Peterson, or Espinosa. However, aside from Estrada, Torres is the only one of this group without any big league experience, which could work against the top prospect.

Although the Yankees believed Torres was near major league ready last year, they’re not going to rush him this year, especially after his injury.

The more names that are added to this competition, the more likely it is that the Yankees will decide to let Torres get some final seasoning in Triple-A to start the season.

On the other hand, New York seemingly hasn’t added a legitimate competitor for Miguel Andujar for the starting third base job. There is reported interest in Todd Frazier and Mike Moustakas, but as things stand, Torreyes seems like the only one who could take the job from Andujar.

When Starlin Castro was traded, the only player I saw keeping Gleyber Torres from the starting second base job was Ronald Torreyes. And even then, I didn’t think “Toe” could hold Gleyber off for long.

Now, I could see Danny Espinosa starting at second for the Yankees with Torreyes in the utility role and Torres starting the year in Triple-A.

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At some point during the 2018 season, we will see Gleyber Torres in pinstripes. The Yankees are just making it harder for that to be on March 29.

If Gleyber Torres is going to start at second base for the New York Yankees on Opening Day, he’s going to have to earn it.

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