Ronald Torreyes had the best year of his limited Major League career for the 2021 Phillies. Torreyes is a 29-year old journeyman, standing at only 5’8’’, 150lbs, but he plays with a great deal of technique and heart.
Torreyes was never a major league starter, but he got an opportunity to tally starting innings for the Phillies in the back half of the season. The Phillies everyday 3B to start the year, Alec Bohm, was slumping offensively and costing the team runs defensively. So, Phillies manager Joe Girardi elected to upgrade a well-known utility piece on his bench in the form of Torreyes to replace the void. Girardi knew Torreyes from his managing days in New York, where Ronald posted his best statistical year, 2017, hitting .292 with 3HR in limited, alternate time for the Yankees. Girardi had respect for Torreyes ability to fundamentally play the game. His play doesn’t pop like a superstar’s, but he makes the plays that need to be made and he hits the ball when he needs to. And when he got his number called for the Phillies this year in a larger role, he did just that.
Torreyes final 2021 stat line isn’t outstanding, as he batted .242 with 7HR, but Phillies fans don’t doubt the impact of his play for his worth. Torreyes plugged the defensive hole that Bohm left at 3B, committing no errors at the position. His limited pop in the form of seven homers may have been the most impactful aspect of his play, as two were go-ahead, three-run home runs for the Phillies. One he launched over the Green Monster at Fenway in July, and the other bounced out of the yard at home against the Pirates in September. /cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/pmn/6S2QS2CHWVA7FNQRDBUCU2FMUQ.jpg)
Torreyes grew into a player that the Phillies depended upon by the end of the year. It wasn’t by matter of choice, as the Phillies would’ve preferred to keep Torreyes in his traditional role on the bench. But, with the poor performance of Bohm, Torreyes stepped up and got the job done for the Phillies in a needed area. The Venezualen utility man is only on the books for less than a million annually. If he continues to perform at this clip for a cheap price, it only makes sense for Girardi and the Phillies to tenure Torreyes next season as a bench piece.
Hi Sam! I like that you’re highlighting all the different kinds of players on this blog. It makes sense that not everyone can be outstanding and out-performing other players all of the time. A good team calls for a balance of people who are outstanding, and players like Torreyes who are consistent, and reliable to always do their part. I like supporting the underdogs, so this article not only made me aware of who Torreyes is, but also has me rooting for him in my own way. As always, this is a great post.
Great job on this post! I really appreciate Torreyes “underdog” story, and that he became depended on even if he’s usually on the bench. Also I’m from Pittsburgh, so shoutout Pirates.
I’ve always appreciated athletes who can take such a complex game like baseball, boil it down to the fundamentals, and get a great handle on being the best they can be. In that regard, I think Ronald Torreyes exemplifies this virtue and I’ll be excited to see what he can do this upcoming season. I’m not a Phillies fan at all and don’t plan to be anytime soon, but you offer a nice analysis of the players and the team that I look forward to reading about every other week.