It is no secret to anyone that Gleyber Torres is immersed in a terrible offensive slump since last season. Much has been speculated about the possible cause of his slump, but everything seems to indicate that one of his biggest problems lies in making contact with speed shots.
Two years ago the Venezuelan registered his best season in the majors, hitting 38 home runs, as well as hitting .278 with a .535 slugging. That season, the shortstop was a real hitting machine against the straights, sending them to .292 with an SLG of .603.
Now, this year the native of Caracas has had a difficult time against fast pitches. So far in 2021 Torres leads them to .207 with a .284 slugging. In this way, it is evident how vulnerable the Creole has become before the straights.
And as if that were not enough, this season only has three home runs when he hits a pitch with speed. In 2019 his homer total versus fastballs was 24.
Faced with the infielder’s problem, rival pitchers have been taking advantage, taking into account that the percentage of fast shipments they make has been constantly increasing.
In 2019, of the total pitches he received, 55.3% were straight. In 2021 the percentage rose to 57.2%, with half a season still to be played.
Another cause of Torres not raising his head at the plate is the speed of his hits. This year the average number of balls he puts into play is 86.4 miles per hour, which places him in the lowest 8% among MLB hitters.
Said average is the lowest of its trajectory, having its best record coincidentally in 2019 when the average exit speed was 89.1 mph.
Finally, although the shortstop is negotiating more walks, it has not contributed to his game, because he has lost aggressiveness at the plate.
Despite increasing his ticket rate from 7.9% in 2019 to 11.2% in 2021, the Venezuelan has seen his production decrease considerably.
The game schedule with the Yankees-Red Sox classic was supposed to resume last night, but was suspended due to a Covid-19 outbreak at the New York club.
