Yankees' Gleyber Torres Bashes Astros, Believes They Cheated in 2019

TAMPA, Fla. – When Gleyber Torres was honored with the esteemed Thurman Munson Award earlier this month, he told members of the media that he wouldn't address the Astros' sign-stealing scandal until he reported to Spring Training.

Sure enough, as position players arrived to the Bombers' camp on Monday, Torres spoke out regarding the controversy that continues to gather steam across Major League Baseball. For a generally mild-mannered individual, the shortstop evidently had a lot to get off his chest.

"It’s not respectful to baseball when you cheat," Torres said. "We feel frustration to see we play our team legal and others like Houston don’t play legal. It’s really easy to compete when you know what is coming, you know what I mean?"

The 23-year-old opened up about having to face the likes of Justin Verlander, Zack Greinke and Gerrit Cole – who he can now call his teammate – and how much preparation goes into facing the Astros' talented hurlers. For Houston's hitters to have known what pitches were going to be thrown didn't sit well with the phenom.

"They pitch really well and now, they go to home plate and they face our pitchers and they know everything about what is coming," Torres exclaimed. "It’s not fair."

Players around baseball – including reigning NL Most Valuable Player Cody Bellinger – have continued to speak out and reveal their thoughts on the scandal in the first week of Spring Training.

Even New York's general manager Brian Cashman spoke about the matter, explaining on Friday that Houston sign-stealing scheme in 2017 had a direct impact "without question" on the Bombers' chances of making the World Series.

Torres had yet to make his big-league debut in 2017, but he believes the Astros have continued to steal signs electronically. To him, there's no reason why Houston would have stopped cheating prior to 2019. If they won the World Series and had yet to get caught two seasons later, there's no reason why they would stop.

"They won the World Series and nobody knew," Torres explained. "So why don’t they do it [in 2018 and '19] … I think they [cheated] three years in a row."

He equated the situation to playing video games and sneaking a look over your opponent's shoulder to see their controller, a strategy he admitted to using on his teammate Luis Severino.

"If I play video games with you and we face the TV and I saw your controller and I know what is coming and win, if you tell me we play again, I do the same thing because I win," he said jokingly, but still with frustration. "It’s true!"

Torres' skipper Aaron Boone was in support of his starting shortstop's statement, even encouraging it. Boone, who's been around the game of baseball for his entire life, isn't surprised that so many players have felt the need to deliver such emotional statements on the topic. Recalling the conversations he's had with his staff and those on the Yankees' roster since the Commissioner's investigation was released this offseason, he doesn't expect this outpouring of criticism to soon.

"From their raw emotions when the news broke and as the days unfold, I'm not surprised by what we’ve seen," Boone said. "I think it’s important for them to say whatever they need to say on the matter if they want to talk about it or not. I'm respectful of that."

This debacle in Houston is particularly impactful for Torres as Jose Altuve – who won the American League MVP Award in 2017 in the midst of the Astros' scandal – is also from Venezuela and a legend to kid growing up there wanting to play baseball. Torres admitted he's never heard anything bad about his countryman up until now and that he still will call him his friend, but it's still not fair what he did.

"For him to cheat and not respect the game, I don’t like that," Torres said. "I still have a really good relationship with Altuve, that is outside the field. But inside of me, I don’t feel good."

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