A lot of really nice words have been written on Andres Torres and what he meant to Giants fans. I don’t think I can say it any better than Grant did at McCovey Chronicles — so if you haven’t read his ‘A Love Letter to Andres Torres‘ post, go read it now. Grant’s post hits all the right notes on why Torres was such a fun guy to watch play the game. His combination of defensive excellence, energy, and sheer improbability make him one of my favorite Giants of all-time.
Today, I thought I’d share a few of my favorite Torres videos — thanks to MLB’s new embeddable video feature — that, in my opinion, define the spirit of Andres Torres.
Video #1
I’d like to dub this video “UZR Porn” because oh-my-goodness. What makes this video amazing is that Stephen Drew is a left-handed batter and I would assume that, pre-pitch, Torres was set up to play either straight away, or maybe into the pull field of right. Drew solidly hits the ball the other way and Torres still makes the play. When you watch the replay Torres runs across nearly one-third of the OF to track down the out. And he gets there in plenty of time.
Simply amazing.
Video #2
Andres Torres laughs at your silly pick-off attempts.
Video #3
The inside-the-park home run is probably one of the funnest-slash-weirdest events in baseball. Often they’re composed of one part poor defense with one part ‘really speedy guy running’ mixed in. I love this video primarily for the reason that it started off as a ground ball down the right field line, but with Torres’ speed (and the help of a pinball deflection) it turns into an inside-the-park home run.
For every video I linked above, you can probably find 20 that are just as exciting and Torres-ish. Feel free to take the time today to browse through Torres’ video selection. I guarantee that you’ll leave with a smile on your face. And really, isn’t that what baseball is all about?
