This story was excerpted from the Cardinals Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
Column inches usually aren’t spent on 28-year-old position players who haven’t made it above Triple-A. Often, those players never make a Major League debut. As recently as last season, the average Major League debut age of a position player was right around 25, and that’s been the trend for a while.
Yet, after being added to the Cardinals’ 40-man this offseason, 28-year-old Bryan Torres is just one step away from making his Major League debut. It won’t be too much longer of a wait if he keeps playing like he has to start the 2026 season.
Torres’ story isn’t just that of a seasoned Minor Leaguer fighting for a Major League debut. It’s been a grueling journey for the left-handed-swinging utility player. Torres was signed as a 17-year-old by the Brewers in 2017, and he bounced around their system until ‘19.
After the canceled 2020 Minor League season, Torres was selected in the Minor League phase of the Rule 5 Draft by the Giants. Torres was released after just one season in the Giants’ organization, and he spent the ‘22 and ‘23 seasons playing in unaffiliated Independent League baseball before the Cardinals signed him in September 2023.
Undoubtedly, Torres’ journey is a story of perseverance in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds.
While his journey is the narrative worth following, it’s what he’s done on the diamond that has our attention. The most eye-catching aspect of Torres’ profile is his batter’s eye, best reflected by his 20.3% walk rate in 2026. That’s 12th best in Triple-A, and it would be top five in the Major Leagues. Torres isn’t striking out a lot either, and his 15.3% strikeout rate is well below the 22-24% Major League average.
When a hitter puts up a walk rate that high, you might anticipate they have a passive approach at the plate, but that isn’t the case with Torres. While his walk rate does the heavy lifting, Torres is known for hunting his pitch and hitting the ball all over the field. Torres is more of a slap-hitting singles hitter than he is a slugger, but he does have five doubles and one triple in 64 at-bats on the season. In 84 plate appearances, Torres is slashing .344/.470/.453, while being matched up most frequently against right-handed pitchers, because that’s who he does his damage against.
Torres is an exhausting at-bat for opposing pitchers, often going deep into counts and fouling off many pitches. Torres possesses what I would describe as elite hand-to-eye coordination, as well as control of his barrel and swing path. That’s why he is capable of slapping the ball all over the field. Torres’ spray chart is a thing of beauty, as he pulls the ball 40% of the time, goes opposite field 36% of time, and drives the ball up the middle 24% of the time. Torres wRC+ of 161 is 15th best in Triple-A and 11th best in the International League, all while anchoring the top of Memphis’ lineup as its leadoff hitter.
Torres has played second base and center field exclusively during the 2026 season, but he’s demonstrated the ability to play aptly all over the diamond in the past, including both corner-outfield positions. In his early Minor League days, Torres even caught, although that’s not something that he’s done in the Cardinals’ organization. Torres is also a steady baserunner, and he’s a season removed from successfully stealing 26 bases on 32 attempts at Triple-A.
Bryan Torres is unique, but not for the usual reasons that we might lob that superlative upon a player. Torres doesn’t have any loud tools. He doesn’t do any one, singular thing that’s capable of carrying him to years of Major League success. However, as a “sum of his parts” type of player, few players in the Major or Minors profile the way that Torres does while persevering through what Torres has.
Minor League roundup
Triple-A Memphis (16-9): Every week, infielder César Prieto seems to be right in the middle of the offensive output for the Redbirds. Prieto entered Sunday having put together multi-hit efforts in three straight games. Catcher Jimmy Crooks (No. 8 prospect) continued his slugging ways this week with two home runs, giving him eight on the season, which is tied for second in Triple-A. Outfielder Joshua Báez (No. 4 prospect) has been heating up, hitting three home runs this week. LHP Brycen Mautz (No. 21 prospect) continues to refine his command and adjust to Triple-A hitters. While he walked four over four innings in his Wednesday start against Norfolk, Mautz didn’t allow a run while surrendering only one hit and striking out seven.
Double-A Springfield (7-12): After a slow Double-A debut, outfielder Travis Honeyman is starting to drive the ball with authority, including hitting his first Double-A home run on Friday night. Former first-round Draft pick Chase Davis had a multi-homer game on Friday night. The first homer was hit 109 mph off of the bat and the second 117 mph off of the bat. LHP Braden Davis (No. 27 prospect) had his best Double-A start on Wednesday. Davis allowed two runs over five innings while striking out eight.
High-A Peoria (9-10): Infielder Jalin Flores followed up a two-hit game on Thursday with a big game on Saturday against Cedar Rapids, going 2-for-5 with a double and his second home run of the season. First baseman/catcher Josh Kross has been swinging a hot bat, as well, and outfielder Tai Peete (No. 18 prospect) added a homer this week. Right-handed pitchers Nolan Sparks and Yhoiker Fajardo (No. 13 prospect) each had standout starts this week. Sparks struck out eight over 3 2/3 innings against Cedar Rapids on Tuesday, only allowing one run on three hits and a walk, while Fajardo struck out five over 3 1/3 innings while allowing one run on four hits and two walks on Saturday.
Single-A Palm Beach (15-5): Ty Van Dyke continued his terrific start to the season on Saturday, throwing five scoreless innings. The righty allowed three hits and a walk while striking out five. Van Dyke has not allowed an earned run over his 19 1/3 innings of work to start the season. Jack Gurevitch, the Cards’ No. 29 prospect who has been splitting time between first and third, has been consistently hitting the ball 100+ mph, including a home run on Friday that was 115 mph off of the bat. RHP Patrick Galle had another dominant relief appearance on Friday night, throwing 1 2/3 hitless innings while striking out four. Galle hasn’t allowed a hit in five relief appearances with Palm Beach, while striking out 14 of the 23 batters he’s faced.