Second to a Yankee
Another big hurdle, at least as viewed by outside observers, is that Gleyber has played only 55 games above High-A. And just 23 of those at Triple-A Scranton Wilkes/Barre. However, a look at the Red Sox LF and former number one prospect Andrew Benintendi should allay most fears.
Bennie was promoted to the Red Sox late in 2016, after playing only 63 games above High-A and none at Triple-A. His final slash at the MLB level that year was .295/.359/.476.
He did slightly worse over the course of his full 2017 season (.271/.352/.424), but that was still good enough to come in a clear second in the Rookie of the Year voting; I can’t remember who won.
And here is some additional insight from our sister Red Sox site, Over the Monster:
"Andrew Benintendi did win a runaway contest for runner-up in the American League. He received 23 of 30 second-place votes along with six third-place votes. He didn’t light the world on fire and we did see some struggles from the former number seven overall pick, but he stayed near the top of Boston’ lineup all year long and finished up with a slightly above-average 103 OPS+. That was combined with strong defense in left field and gave him a solid baseline for his career."
That seemed to go well for Bu-Bu-Bennie and the Sox. But more importantly, it bodes well for Gleyber, as well as the 2018 Yankees. Plus, Andrew never won an Arizona Fall League MVP. So, yes, Gleyber Torres is ready to play at the Major League level right now.
But are the Yankees ready to pay for that privilege?