The Detroit Tigers signed former New York Yankees second baseman Gleyber Torres this past offseason, and for good reason. While Torres may not thrive under Manhattan's lights, he is a more than capable second baseman in Motown. The Tigers are littered with young talent, but what they lack are veteran contributors who have been there and done that before.
Torres is an adventure in the field, don't get me wrong. He had a league-leading 17 errors for the Yankees just last season. It's why the Yankees wanted to move Torres off of second base to begin with, but the former top prospect was reportedly unwilling. Here's what Torres had to say about cutting down on his misplays in the Bronx just last season.
“I’ve made some stupid errors this year,” Torres said at the time, per NJ.com. “For sure, I’ve made too many on easy plays. There’s no excuse. I feel really depressed when I make those errors.”
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Gleyber Torres is out of excuses if the Tigers ask him to switch positions
Torres can get hot at the plate, and he's an asset for this Tigers team because of what he brings to the lineup. However, AJ Hinch should hope that, if called upon, Torres would be willing to switch positions, especially if his poor judgement in the field follows him to Detroit.
For example, Detroit's lineup on Monday afternoon did not have Torres in it. Instead, Colt Keith played second base, while Justyn Henry-Malloy is slotted in at DH. Javy Baez was the shortstop, and Andy Ibañez played third base. Of course, by no means is this the Tigers A lineup. Torres is on the IL, after all. So far this season. Torres hasn't made an error, but that is a very low bar.
Hinch prioritizes flexibility, and Torres hasn't always been open to moving off second base, if Yankees GM Brian Cashman is to be believed.
“When I acquired Jazz, I acquired Jazz to be our second baseman and move Gleyber [Torres] to third the rest of last year,” Cashman said. "[Manager Aaron Boone] wanted to do it the other way. He moved Jazz to third after we got him and kept Gleyber [Torres] at second because Gleyber didn’t want to move to third and was unwilling.”
At the time, Cashman's shot at Torres seemed uncalled for. However, if for some reason Torres refused to move off his position again, the Tigers likely wouldn't be as kind. Torres is signed to a one-year deal to help Detroit contend, after all.