Gleyber Torres’ dream deferred

By César Augusto Márquez

Gleyber Torres choked up the moment his father, Eusebio, answered the phone. It was not an everyday call. Gleyber was dialing to give his dad bad news, to confirm that the injury he suffered two days earlier was worse than imagined and that he would have to defer for a year his dream of playing in the major leagues.

In short, the New York Yankees’ number one prospect and number two overall in the minor leagues according to MLBPipeline.com — a talented shortstop from Caracas, Venezuela, who can hit and play multiple positions — had to tell his father that he suffered a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his left, non-throwing elbow during a headfirst slide at home plate while playing for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre last week.

“At first it was very hard. When you hear a diagnosis like this, the tendency is to lose your mind, most of all because I was hopeful that if I kept working, I would eventually reach the major leagues,” Gleyber said in a telephone interview with La Vida in Spanish.

Torres, 20, underwent Tommy John surgery — the procedure most frequently used to repair torn ligaments in elbows — this morning at New York-Presbyterian Hospital in New York City. According to his agent, Wil Polidor, the surgery was a success. While Gleyber faces a relatively brief recovery — four to six months — it’s the first serious injury of his career. During the interview, which took place on Tuesday, the day before surgery, Gleyber freely admitted to mixed emotions.

“I won’t deny that it’s frustrating,” he said. “But a day after the injury, when you can look at it with a clear mind, I know that I’m still very young, and if I’m not going to make it (to the major leagues) this year, then I surely will next year.”

The past 12 months have been a whirlwind ride for Gleyber. A year ago, he was the Chicago Cubs’ prized prospect until he was packaged with three other players at the trade deadline and sent to the Yankees for closer Aroldis Chapman. After changing organizations, he played in the Arizona Fall League and took home the MVP trophy. And after starting this season in Double-A Trenton, he was promoted to Triple-A and seemed to be inching his way toward the inevitable call-up this summer to the Yankees, a team full of exciting young talent that has been on top of the American League East for much of the season.

“I’ve experienced so many things, that it’s hard to pick one moment, but I think being the Arizona Fall League MVP has been the biggest moment of all,” Gleyber said.

Painful Call Home

Eusebio Torres knew it right away. He was following the game that day on an app on his telephone when he noticed that his son did not come back out on the field. He feared something was wrong.

“The moment I noticed that, I called Gleyber’s wife, Elizabeth, who I knew was at the game,” Eusebio said in a telephone interview in Spanish from Venezuela. “When I asked her, she answered: ‘It’s true, Gleyber suffered an injury and he’s being looked at right now. The initial tests came back negative, but Gleyber still feels pain.’”

Eusebio saw a replay of the collision, which occurred after his son tried to score from second base on a hit to right field, and he can break it down like if he were a color analyst watching a replay.

“Gleyber always plays hard and he tried to go home,” said his father. “But I think that when it was time to slide, he hesitated, causing him to go in awkwardly and crash into the catcher, which was when he suffered the injury.”

A second medical opinion confirmed everyone’s worst fears. Gleyber would need surgery and miss the rest of the season.

“I got the call (on Monday) and that was very hard because he was devastated,” Eusebio said. “He was all choked up and I, too, felt very bad. I felt like crying, but I had to be strong. I hadn’t seen him this sad since he was traded for the first time (from the Cubs to the Yankees). But this game will test your resolve. He’s a very mature young man who has worked his way up in baseball very quickly. This maturity is a special gift and it is what makes him a different type of ballplayer.”

Gleyber says his family’s support has made all the difference.

“Without family, you’re nothing,” he said. “Thank the Lord that my father has been there for me, just like my mother and the rest of my family. Every time we speak, he gives me advice, he makes sure that the messages of support and solidarity that he sends from Venezuela get to me, which, of course, helps keep my spirits up.

“The support of my wife, Elizabeth, has also been key. We have shared good times as well as bad and she has been at my side. Thanks to the Lord and her and my family, I feel better, hoping for the best with my operation.”

rehab and recovery

Gleyber Torres has been a big-time player at nearly every age and level. At 14, he was ranked among the best prospects in his country. After turning 16, he signed with the Cubs in 2013 for $1.7 million, largest bonus granted to a Venezuelan prospect that year.

And at 20, he was one phone call away from the major leagues, hitting .309/.406/.457 with the Triple-A RailRiders at the time of the injury. Maybe because he has been the center of attention for such a long time — he already has 47,200 followers on Instagram — he seems impervious to pressure.

“To avoid feeling additional pressure, I try not to pay much attention to what the press says about me,” Gleyber said. “I appreciate that they talk about me, but I try to treat the press clippings about me the same way I did before turning pro.

“I never place pressure on myself. Before each game, I try to relax, mainly by listening to Latin music, depending on my mood. By learning how to deal with pressure, I’ve become a better player.”

While position players don’t suffer ruptured ligaments in their elbows as often as pitchers, there is good news regarding Torres’ future. His rehabilitation should take much less time than that of a pitcher and the chances of a complete recovery are high. In fact, two of the current All-Star voting leaders, Minnesota Twins third baseman Miguel Sanó in the American League and Cincinnati Reds shortstop Zack Cozart in the National League, both came back from Tommy John surgery in less than a year.

“It will be difficult not being on a playing field, because it’s what I know best and love to do, but I must be diligent in my rehab,” Gleyber said. “I will try to work out and stay fit, and within four months, the Lord willing, I hope to return to baseball. Everything is pushed back a year, but my dream has not changed; I want to play in the major leagues.”

A dream deferred, but still intact.

Featured Image: @gleyberdavid / Instagram