Brooklyn State of Mind: Jose Torres Has Solid First Year in Pro Ball (2059.10)

[lordtoffee]

The biggest story for the Robins in 2059 was how Jose Torres would do as the top pick in the draft. Torres is a top 5 prospect in the BBA, and the top rated pitching prospect in the majors according to the experts at Baseball America. There were some Robins fans who wanted Torres to skip the minors, but Brooklyn's front office has been steadfast in making sure that Torres would get the seasoning that he needed at Twin Falls in A ball. Well, with Torres having made his final start of the year, we have the full snapshot of his starts. In 16 starts with the team, Torres went 10-4 with an ERA of 1.75 in 108 innings and a WAR of 3.2. He also made the CPL All-Star team, and looked comfortable. So with that in mind, we talked to those that worked with him to get a sense of where Torres is at.

Nicholas Brody is the manager of Twin Falls for the past couple of years after serving with the Jackrabbits as a bench coach and manager. He was brought into the Robins organization with the hope of getting the A ball guys to understand what was needed at the BBA level. "I was real happy to get Jose. The young man has a lot of natural talent, and we emphasized to him the importance of building up his confidence. The way that he ended the season was really impressive for us, and I liked how consistent that he was. He is going to move onto the next stage of his career in either AA or AAA ball better prepared. I was glad to work with him."

Rudy Swanson joined Twin Falls this year after a year out of the game following leaving Boise. "With young pitchers, you are looking at making sure that the building blocks are in place. We were fortunate that Mr. Heuring and the Robins front office was very good at providing support and time for Jose without trying to meddle. Jose showed a lot of improvement, and I love how he wanted the ball every time it was his turn in the rotation. The numbers, his willingness to be a leader of our staff, and his ability to turn around the team record is exactly what Brooklyn is looking for in the next couple of years. I take pride in handing him over to the next level a better pitcher than when he arrived."

[Krathan]

Glad he had a nice season. I hope he turns out as good as he looks like he could for you.

[lordtoffee]

Glad he had a nice season. I hope he turns out as good as he looks like he could for you.

I was sorely tempted to push him up to AA or AAA this year. However, I have the rest of the season and the offseason to think about what level he is going to start at next year, with an eye to send him to spring training with the big club.