Entering the Yankees’ 2021 season, an enormous “X-factor” was the question of whether or not shortstop Gleyber Torres would be able to improve his defense. After ranking 37th out of 39 qualifiers at shortstop last season in Outs Above Average (OAA), Gleyber didn’t leave himself much room to go anywhere but up.
On most teams, this would be a concern — defense at a premium defensive position always is — but on the Yankees, this was an imposing issue. Re-signing DJ LeMahieu to a six-year contract essentially removed any parachute the Yankees had with Torres’ name on it should he fail to improve his glovework.