When Cristofer Torin came to the plate for Low-A Visalia last year, the shortstop gave the impression of someone looking to impress, sometimes to a fault.
This year, he looks like a hitter with a plan.
“He’s controlling the zone better than he did last year,” Visalia manager Dee Garner said. “Last year, he was free-swinging a little bit. Didn’t have a good plan.
“I think he was still a young kid. He was excited to be here and maybe there was a little of, ‘Let me show everyone that I deserve to be here.’ I think he tried to do too much.
“This year, with that experience I think he’s learned a lot and progressed.”
After hitting just .236/.314/.300 in 39 games for Visalia last year, Torin is back in the California League and was off to a fast start. He hit .310/.444/.483 with 20 walks and 17 strikeouts through 24 games.
D-backs hitting coordinator Drew Hedman said that Torin’s underlying data supports the fast start, including expected numbers that are roughly in line with his actual production.
Hedman said he was impressed with what he saw in a handful of games when he was with Visalia in late April. He saw Torin intentionally take advantage of a big hole on the right side.
He saw him swing over top of a breaking ball, then make an adjustment to check off the pitch the next time he saw it.
Those were encouraging signs for a player in his age-19 season. Arizona signed Torin out of Venezuela in 2022.
“He knows the strike zone, is able to make quick adjustments and he makes a ton of contact on pitches in the zone,” Hedman said. “All are good signs that this guy could be a good, productive big league hitter.”
Questions remain about Torin’s future defensive home, in part based on how his body develops. But D-backs people speak highly about how he has handled shortstop this year.
“He’s been outstanding,” Gardner said. “He’s making range plays. I don’t see anything right now that would prevent him from playing shortstop.”