Joe Torres brings knowledge and experience to Guardians’ pitching factory: Week in baseball - Supply Chain Council of European Union

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Former agent David Sloane said Joe Torres was the best high school pitcher he’d ever seen when he scouted him at Gateway High School in Kissimmee, Fla.

The Angels drafted Torres, a left-hander who struck out 138 batters in 55 innings in his senior year, with the 10th overall pick in 2000 and gave him a signing bonus of just over $2 million.

“If the Angels hadn’t destroyed his career, there would be a statue of him outside Anaheim Stadium,” said Sloane. “He was that good.”

Last week the Guardians promoted Torres to assistant pitching coach on manager Terry Francona’s big league staff. He replaces Ruben Niebla, who left at the end of last season to become San Diego’s pitching coach.

Pitching is what the Guardians do best. In the last eight years, their pitchers have won three Cy Young awards, including two by Corey Kluber. In the last 15 years, they’ve won five. Shane Bieber (2020 winner) and CC Sabathia (2007) were drafted and developed by Cleveland. Kluber (2014, 2017) and Cliff Lee (2008) were acquired in trades as minor leaguers and polished to a fine shine in Cleveland.

NIebla was part of that process, spending 21 years in the organization, most of it in the minors. Torres, entering his sixth season with Cleveland, joins pitching coach Carl Willis and bullpen coach Brian Sweeney on the big league staff.

“The thing that is going to make Joe such an excellent addition to Cleveland’s major league staff,” said Sloane, “is that when Joe was 17 he was throwing 96 mph. After he hurt his arm, he topped out at maybe 90. He had to go from a young pitcher with the ability to either blow the ball by a hitter or throw his curveball, which was better than his fastball … to a guy who had to learn how to control whatever he was going to throw.

“Set the hitters up and not make any mistakes. He knows what it’s like to be a guy that can just go out there and say, ‘Here is comes. Good luck hitting it.’ To a guy who says, “How am I going to get it past this guy?” and consistently get it past that guy.

“He’s basically going to be able to cover the entire spectrum of instruction. On top of that he’s as fine a human being as you’d want to meet.”

Torres, 39, pitched 13 years professionally, but never reached the big leagues. He did reach Triple-A with the Rockies in 2011 and 2012.

At 17 Torres started his professional career with Class A Boise in the Northwest League. The average age of players in that league was 21, but Torres went 4-1 with a 2.54 ERA in 11 games, including 10 starts. He struck out 52 and walked 23 in 46 innings.

Sloane said after the 2000 season, the Angels asked Torres to change his arm angle. He developed a sore left elbow and eventually needed Tommy John surgery, missing the 2004 season.

“Joe was never the same after that,” said Sloane.

Hall of Fame results on Tuesday

The Hall of Fame voting results will be announced at 6 p.m. Tuesday on MLB Network. The three top vote getters last year were Curt Schilling (71.1% of the vote), Barry Bonds (61.8%) and Roger Clements (61.6%). They are in their 10th and final year of eligibility.

Last year no player received the necessary 75% of the vote from the Baseball Writers Association of America to gain induction. Former Indians shortstop Omar Vizquel had the fourth-highest vote total at 49.1%.

Left-hander CC Sabathia, the Indians’ No. 1 pick in 1998, will be eligible for the Hall in 2025. Here’s the position-by-position breakdown of players in Cooperstown: 84 pitchers, 19 catchers, 25 first baseman, two designated hitters, 21 second basemen, 17 third basemen, 26 shortstops, 23 left fielders, 24 center fielders and 27 right fielders.

There have been 57 players elected in their first year on the ballot. Published Hall of Fame ballots indicate that former Boston DH David Ortiz could be the 58th player to do so. Willie Mays is the oldest member of the Hall of Fame at 90. Vladimir Guerrero is the youngest at 46.

Hurry up and wait

The Guardians, like all big league clubs, are being held hostage by the lockout when it comes to spring training plans. There are currently a imited number of minor league players working out at their facility in Goodyear, Ariz., but official reporting dates are still unclear.

If the start of big-league camp is delayed, do the minor leaguers report in place of the players on the 40-man roster? Or do they hold off and report in early March? Not to mention COVID protocols and the 300 or so free agents who are still waiting to be signed.

Depending on when the lockout ends, a lot of decisions are going to have to be made in a hurry.

Names to remember:

* Coco Crisp, who played for the Indians from 2002-05 and again in 2016, has been hired as Washington’s outfield and baserunning coordinator. He also served as an answer in the LA Times crossword puzzle.

* Sandy Martinez, who caught one game for the Indians in 2004, has been named Washington’s Dominican Summer League field coordinator. He is the father of Guardians prospect Angel Martinez.

* Destin Hood, who played 57 games for the Indians at Class AA Akron and Columbus in 2015, has been named Washington’s developmental coach for its Florida Complex League team.

* Ronny Rodriguez, who spent seven years in Cleveland’s minor league system, has signed to play in the Chinese Professional Baseball League.

* Shane Robinson, who went to camp with the Indians in 2016, will be San Diego’s Class AA bench coach this year.