It's an exciting time to be a baseball fan in the Motor City. The Detroit Tigers have been one of the best MLB teams since Opening Day, highlighted by their American League Central-best 77 wins as of Saturday afternoon. As long as they keep their foot on the gas, the Tigers will be on pace to reach the playoffs in back-to-back seasons for the first time in over a decade.
With the MLB postseason just over a month away, the next month and change will be important for the Tigers to generate as much momentum as possible. Manager A.J. Hinch will be keeping his eye on his top players to ensure everyone performs to their potential, including one of Detroit's stars who needs to turn things around after a disappointing August performance.
Tigers 2B Gleyber Torres Must Step Up After Poor August Showing
The Tigers added a major threat to their betting order when they signed Gleyber Torres to a one-year, $15 million contract in December. The veteran second baseman was coming off an impressive seven-year run with the New York Yankees, which included 138 home runs, 441 RBIs, 333 walks, .264/.334/.441 slash line, and 15.8 WAR in 888 games, picking up two All-Star nods along the way.
It didn't take Torres long to pick up from where he left off upon arriving in the Motor City. The 28-year-old slugger was one of the Tigers' best players in the first half, slashing .281/.387/.425 with nine HRs, 45 RBIs, and 51 walks in 84 games before this year's mid-July pause, which was good enough for his third career All-Star appearance.
Unfortunately, Torres' performance has only worsened since the season resumed, and his performance in August isn't doing much to silence Detroit fans' doubts.
In his first 18 games to begin the month, Torres has recorded an abysmal .194 batting average and .586 OPS across 82 plate appearances. He's picked up just two HRs (with the last one on Aug. 2), 10 RBIs, and nine walks with 15 strikeouts during that stretch. On top of that, eight of those outings saw him go hitless in three-plus PAs, further showing how hard he's been to trust.
Obviously, Torres isn't going anywhere down the stretch, but his future in Detroit will hinge on how he plays until the Tigers' season is over. The star Venezuelan infielder will be a free agent this winter, and continuing with the status quo won't give the Tigers' front office much of a reason to re-sign him.
Hopefully, Torres rediscovers his touch soon. His bat played a big role in the Tigers' early-season success, and returning to form will give the club its best chance at bringing a World Series title to Detroit for the first time since 1984.