Tigers have a major 67.5 mph Gleyber Torres problem

The Detroit Tigers are struggling a bit to begin the 2026 season, as they're currently 7-9, only one game ahead of the Chicago White Sox for last place in the AL Central.

While there are a few reasons for the early-season struggles, the weak start from Gleyber Torres, who accepted his $22.025 million qualifying offer, has been one of the more concerning developments.

But, there's a bigger problem with Torres' game than his simple .634 OPS indicates. The Tigers' infielder, according to Baseball Savant, has a 67.5 mph problem.

Gleyber Torres has 67.5 mph problem

The Tigers' infielder is off to a slow start offensively, and in more ways than simply his rough OPS and batting average of .214.

Torres has a 67.5 mph average bat speed this season, which is a big red flag for the Tigers and Torres this season. He's not once been below 70 mph in his career before, and while he sat at 70.2 mph last season, that was still nearly 3.0 mph faster than it is this year.

It's not a large sample size, and there could be more speed on the horizon for Torres, but for now, this is a big concern.

Chris Brown of Motor City Metrics shared some more insight into Torres bat speed issues from a different angle: "Gleyber Torres has put 40 balls into play this year: Opposite Field" 20. Straightaway: 16. Pull: 4."

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This is a major issue for the Tigers' infielder, as his slower bat speed isn't allowing him to pull the ball, a key component of being a successful hitter.

Only 10% of the time is Torres pulling a ball this season, which would be significantly worse than Brice Turang's 26.8% mark from last season, which was the lowest in MLB, according to Brown.

This 67.5 mph bat speed issue is a big one for the Tigers and Torres. Whether it's a mechanical issue, an injury nagging Torres, or some other issue, the Tigers need to figure things out with Torres. Otherwise, 2026 is going to be a long season.

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