TAMPA, Fla. -- Gleyber Torres was feeling a tad nostalgic this week even before returning to George M. Steinbrenner Field on Saturday for the Tigers’ Grapefruit League opener against the Yankees, his former team.
If Torres wanted a reminder of his days as a top prospect and a highly regarded rookie, all he needed to do was look a few feet down in the Tigers’ clubhouse at Joker Marchant Stadium to top prospects Kevin McGonigle (MLB Pipeline's No. 2 overall prospect) and Max Clark (No. 10 overall).
Asked if any Yankees helped him when he was in that spot, Torres said, “I was close to Didi [Gregorius] and Aaron Hicks. I was kind of nervous, but from the beginning they treated me really good. I remember CC Sabathia talked with me and said, ‘Just play your game, don't worry about those rookie rules in the past. You're part of the team, just do your thing.’ That's kind of what made me feel better and confident.”
Fitting, then, that as Torres took the field at second base for Saturday’s 20-3 loss to the Yankees, he had McGonigle to his right as his double-play partner. And while the Tigers have long had a welcoming clubhouse for young players after multiple waves of prospects over the past several years, Torres tries his best to pay it forward from the help he received on his way to the big leagues.
“I don't really talk a lot. I don't want to feel like the old guy,” Torres said. “But I tell them, 'Whatever you need, just tell me.' Whatever I see in practice, I always reach out to them and just try to help them.
“The best way [to contribute] is when they feel part of the team. It doesn't matter that they haven't played for the team, or [they’ve only] played in the Minor Leagues; you're on the big league side. Make them feel comfortable to do the right thing.”
The effort is appreciated.
“Gleyber and [Javier] Báez have been nothing but great,” McGonigle said. “Just watching them, the way they go about their business out on the diamond, their footwork, their patterns out there while they’re playing defense, it’s been really special to watch them and learn as much as I can.”
Torres and McGonigle have been working together to some degree since before Spring Training officially began; both reported to camp early. They began working in the same infield group some days once full-squad workouts began this week. They didn’t need long to team up Saturday, working together to make a 4-6-3 double play look routine and helping starter Keider Montero out of a turbulent two-run first inning.
“That was pretty cool,” McGonigle said. “I’m glad I got some action out there. To be able to turn a double play with Gleyber is really cool.”
Torres gave McGonigle an assist in the top of the inning as well after McGonigle fought off a 100.5 mph fastball to line a single into left field off Yankees pitching prospect Carlos Lagrange.
McGonigle faced Lagrange last July with Double-A Erie. To refresh his memory, he studied video of his at-bats from that game.
“I always treat every game the same, no matter what it is -- [Arizona] Fall League, regular season or Spring Training," McGonigle said. "I always try to go out and compete and help the team win. Definitely did some study last night."
Torres then centered a 98.2 mph fastball and sent a sharp ground ball back through the middle to move McGonigle to second.
From there, McGonigle’s instincts took over. Lagrange recovered to strike out Colt Keith on three pitches, but strike three in the dirt bounced far enough away from catcher Ali Sánchez that McGonigle bolted for third. There might have been a close play, but when Sánchez’s throw sailed behind McGonigle and into left field, he continued home without a play at the plate.
“I kind of hesitated, which isn’t good,” McGonigle said. “I should have seen that ball in the dirt and went right away.”
It was one of the Tigers' few highlights on a day when they trailed from the first inning on. But it was a reminder of what McGonigle can do besides the explosive power he showed in his 19-homer season last year.
Torres doesn’t have to feel like the old guy since he doesn’t turn 30 until December. But he felt comfortable enough in Detroit that it made his decision to accept the Tigers’ qualifying offer last Nov. 18 easier, besides the hope of bouncing back from the sports hernia that hobbled him down the stretch last season and required offseason surgery.
“We just looked [around] the free-agent market, we touched base with a couple teams, we just tried to see how everything is,” Torres said. “It was an easy choice to come back here. Last year was a really good year for me. I felt at home from the first day. I felt really good. I know the group. I know as an organization, they really want to compete. What happened last year showed us what we want in the future. They have a lot of opportunity to do a little bit better. Personally, I don't feel good with my second half from the injury. I was in pain and everything.
“I'm really, really proud the organization gave me the opportunity with the qualifying offer. I mean, it's not an easy offer, that type of money for one year. It's another year to prove myself, to get better and help the team.”