Andres Torres the fastest major leaguer ever?

[4:24-miler]

I read this article about Giants outfielder Andres Torres. A 10.37 second 100 meters is pretty fast for a high school guy. I would guess that would project to a sub 10 second 100 meters in his 20's if Torres stayed with track? I'd like to confirm that time , though. Torres was born on January 26, 1978. This would put his high school years from 1992-1996 most likely.

Torres' baseball life is in writing
Outfielder's journal plays important role in his game

By Chris Haft / MLB.com
SAN FRANCISCO -- Andres Torres regards the ballpark as a classroom where his education isn't just continuing, it's accelerating.

It's essential to remember that Torres, 32, didn't begin playing baseball with any semblance of purpose until he entered Miami-Dade Community College, where a Yankees scout gave him a business card and seeded his Major League dreams. So Torres feels compelled to keep learning lessons about the game that others might take for granted.

As any diligent student would, Torres takes notes. About three weeks ago, he began logging daily entries in a journal -- notes to himself that help him remember words of advice he received, or something he gained through an on-field experience. Maybe he'll scribble something about using his hands properly in his swing, or how the timing of his swing felt when he lifted his front leg.

"I just try to put little things I do every day and feel good about, or if I'm not doing something right," Torres said of his diamond diary.

At the current rate, Torres might have a best-seller in the works. After beginning the season as an extra outfielder, Torres has left the bench and climbed to the top of the Giants' batting order. A recent stretch in which Torres hit .351 (13-for-37) helped make him the most logical choice to replace Aaron Rowand in the leadoff spot when manager Bruce Bochy tweaked the lineup on Sunday to stimulate the offense.

The move didn't work immediately. Torres went 0-for-3 and the Giants mustered three hits in the Giants' 3-0 Interleague loss to Oakland, which completed a three-game sweep for the A's. That sent the Giants reeling into Tuesday night's series opener against the Washington Nationals at AT&T Park.

But Torres tried his best to capitalize on the lone opportunity he received in that A's game, stealing second base after drawing a fourth-inning leadoff walk. That captures what Torres has brought to the Giants since he joined them last year: Give him the slightest edge, and he'll pour his energy into maximizing it.

"I always say, I'm ready no matter what," said Torres, who is batting .282 overall with a .383 on-base percentage, a .466 slugging percentage and six steals in eight attempts. "Even if I'm not playing, I have to be ready, because you never know."

Torres was among a glut of outfielders competing in Spring Training for a spot on the Opening Day roster. But his switch-hitting ability, sprinter's speed -- he ran the 100-meter dash in 10.37 seconds in high school -- and comfort with each outfield position virtually guaranteed him a job. "He was on this club, no question about it," Bochy said recently.

When Rowand went to the 15-day disabled list, after Los Angeles' Vicente Padilla beaned him with a pitch on April 16, Torres and Eugenio Velez initially shared the center field vacancy. Torres soon emerged superior to Velez, especially upon showing that he could hit right-handed pitching. Last year, Torres hit .338 right-handed and .210 left-handed. So far this year, he actually has reversed his fortunes, batting .238 right-handed and .311 from the left side.

Torres has credited hitting coach Hensley Meulens and teammate Pablo Sandoval for helping him improve his left-handed stroke. He even received a tip during Spring Training from Giants legend Willie McCovey, who suggested that he should hold his bat more upright and wiggle it less upon waiting for the pitch.

Ever humble and hungry for knowledge, Torres would accept wisdom from any well-meaning baseball source. And then he'd jot down a few notes in his journal.

"I learned the game late," he reminded. "I try to talk to everybody -- [Mark] DeRosa, Edgar [Renteria], every player and coach."

Torres might not be entrenched in his current role. DeRosa likely will reclaim left field once he recovers from his injured left wrist. Assuming Rowand remains in center field, that could leave Torres and Nate Schierholtz vying for playing time in right.

Whatever happens, Torres will be eager to contribute, even if he returns to the bench.

"I just try to get better every day," Torres said.

If you don't believe him, it's in writing.

[dukehjsteve]

Herb Washington could have cleaned his clock.

[bad hammy]

Herb Washington could have cleaned his clock.

Well yeah, but in the context of major league baseball players Torres is a ballplayer, Washington was a short-lived sideshow.

[4:24-miler]

Herb Washington could have cleaned his clock.

What was Herb Washington's 100 m PR?

[Marlow]

he ran the 100-meter dash in 10.37 seconds in high school

Am I the one that's gonna hafta sound the BS alarm here? A quick perusal of the pertinent HS Annuals shows no 10.37, not even a hand-timed windy 10.4! Is this just another total fabrication or am I missing something here?

[dj]

he ran the 100-meter dash in 10.37 seconds in high school

Am I the one that's gonna hafta sound the BS alarm here? A quick perusal of the pertinent HS Annuals shows no 10.37, not even a hand-timed windy 10.4! Is this just another total fabrication or am I missing something here?

I'm saying you might be quick on the BS alarm. I, too, found nothing in Jack Shepard's annuals, but my suspicion is he went to high school in Puerto Rico.

Baseball-Reference.com does not list his high school, which is very unusual for a current ball player if he had gone to school in the U.S.

Time for someone to check ATFS annuals. I don't have the right ones at hand.

[dj]

Maybe we're looking in the wrong places. Here's another story: (http://www.marinij.com/sports/ci_15154583) which says his 10.37 had qualified him for the NJCAA champs (and confirms that he went to high school in Puerto Rico.)

[Marlow]

Maybe we're looking in the wrong places. Here's another story: (http://www.marinij.com/sports/ci_15154583) which says his 10.37 had qualified him for the NJCAA champs (and confirms that he went to high school in Puerto Rico.)

Then he did NOT run it in HS.
N.B. the ATFS Annual doesn't go down to 10.37.

The BS-meter is still showing a reading . . .

[dj]

Maybe we're looking in the wrong places. Here's another story: (http://www.marinij.com/sports/ci_15154583) which says his 10.37 had qualified him for the NJCAA champs (and confirms that he went to high school in Puerto Rico.)

Then he did NOT run it in HS.
N.B. the ATFS Annual doesn't go down to 10.37.

The BS-meter is still showing a reading . . .

Did you read the article I cited? He ran in high school, not a U.S. high school.

[Half Miler]

In any event, I watch every televised Giants game with my two kids. They have both commented to me that Torres looks like he's faster than any other player they've seen, and I agree. Good to know there may be some evidence to support this!

[4:24-miler]

Torres did go to high school in Puerto RIco. Do Puerto Rican track performances get listed with regular US high school performances? I would think if a Puerto Rican high school boy was running 10.37 sec for 100 meters he's get invited to the top national high school meets like the Golden West Invitational?

[4:24-miler]

Maybe we're looking in the wrong places. Here's another story: (http://www.marinij.com/sports/ci_15154583) which says his 10.37 had qualified him for the NJCAA champs (and confirms that he went to high school in Puerto Rico.)

Then he did NOT run it in HS.
N.B. the ATFS Annual doesn't go down to 10.37.

The BS-meter is still showing a reading . . .

Did you read the article I cited? He ran in high school, not a U.S. high school.

I read the article. It sounds like Torres ran the 10.37 in junior college, not high school. He entered professional baseball in 1998 so if he ran the 10.37 in the spring of 1998 he was still only 20 years old. That's a pretty gutsy move to make for an athlete. Torres had some potential as a sprinter and had little baseball experience. Yet he choose to stick with baseball.

[Half Miler]

Torres had some potential as a sprinter and had little baseball experience. Yet he choose to stick with baseball.

$$$

[Marlow]

Did you read the article I cited? He ran in high school, not a U.S. high school.

I'm saying the article is mistaken. It certainly looks like IF he did run 10.37, it was in a JC.

[4:24-miler]

Torres had some potential as a sprinter and had little baseball experience. Yet he choose to stick with baseball.

$$$

Very true.

[4:24-miler]

Did you read the article I cited? He ran in high school, not a U.S. high school.

I'm saying the article is mistaken. It certainly looks like IF he did run 10.37, it was in a JC.

That seems more plausible. Where is the best place to look for junior college performances?

[Half Miler]

It's rare that a defensive switch pays immediate dividends in baseball. But tonight, Giants manger Bruce Bochy pulled Aubrey Huff and moved Torres to left field in the 9th inning. Sure enough, Torres, in a full sprint, chases down a laser by Ryan Doumit and saves what would have been a triple had Huff been there. Nice!

But...

We're all forgetting (me included) that Deion Sanders ran 10.26 at Florida State before joining the major leagues.

[Dutra]

It's rare that a defensive switch pays immediate dividends in baseball. But tonight, Giants manger Bruce Bochy pulled Aubrey Huff and moved Torres to left field in the 9th inning. Sure enough, Torres, in a full sprint, chases down a laser by Ryan Doumit and saves what would have been a triple had Huff been there. Nice!

Keeping in mind that had Bochy put me in for Huff I would have stood a better chance of running the ball down than Aubrey....and I'm 53.

But...

We're all forgetting (me included) that Deion Sanders ran 10.26 at Florida State before joining the major leagues.

Good point.

The Torres issue is close to the "Bernie Williams almost made the PR Olympic team" I've seen around.

[BillVol]

People say Mickey Mantle was fast. Wonder how he compares to some of the above athletes?

Of course, just like football speed and track speed are different, so are baseball and track.

[bad hammy]

Torres wins the Willie Mac award, an award voted on by the Giants players to honor their most inspirational teammate each year, an award named after and presented by Willie McCovey. Nice reward for the 32-year-old rookie. (OK, in his sixth year, but over half of his career at bats were this year. The story is that his late 'arrival' follows the diagnosis of and treatment for ADHD.)


http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.c ... ype=sports

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball ... htm#torres

[no one]

Mantle, I believe was timed the fastest guy from home aaround the bases - and back to home again - or was it home to first base. Then I read a few yrs ago that somebody else was close to, faster or just shy of his mark. Not sure if the Mick had ever been time in a 100 - but it surely wasn't a 10.xx(low) . Base running is a dif animal than straight running - apples and bananas. Beside - I want Mickey Mantle to be the fastest forever. What might have been sans knees.

[Half Miler]

Torres may not even be the fastest guy on his own team, with the Giants' promotion of Darren Ford last month.

[4:24-miler]

Torres may not even be the fastest guy on his own team, with the Giants' promotion of Darren Ford last month.

Well maybe right now. But I doubt Ford can run a 10.37 sec 100 m as Torres did at age 20.

[4:24-miler]

Mantle, I believe was timed the fastest guy from home aaround the bases - and back to home again - or was it home to first base. Then I read a few yrs ago that somebody else was close to, faster or just shy of his mark. Not sure if the Mick had ever been time in a 100 - but it surely wasn't a 10.xx(low) . Base running is a dif animal than straight running - apples and bananas. Beside - I want Mickey Mantle to be the fastest forever. What might have been sans knees.

The "official record" is 13.3 seconds around the bases set in 1932 by Evar Swanson at Columbus, OH. Now before everyone's BS meter gets going several years ago I found an article in the Sporting News detailing this record run. I seem to remember Swanson was timed by four AAU track officials. The article was written just a day or two after the run and was quite detailed which lends credibility to the time. I think three of the officials had Swanson at 13.3 sec and one had him at 13.4 sec. All this is from memory. So let be track down the article.

[Littlemac]

Here's some light on the subject
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_was_the_ ... first_base

http://www.baseball-almanac.com/recbooks/rb_guin.shtml

[rson]

The fastest baseball players ever were probably Deion Sanders and Bo jackson.Panama's Fernando Ramsay,who had a cup of coffee in the majors,was also someone who could motor as could Dave Collins.Bobby Bonds,Willie Davis and Willie crawford were all pretty quick. Andres Torres should rank just behind Sanders and Jackson.Bernie Williams was a former Central American and Caribbean Championships under-17 gold medalist at both 200 and 400 meters but probably not as fast rounding the bases as several others.

[4:24-miler]

As for the 13.3 seconds around the bases that is extremely fast. Back in the 1970's Mickey Rivers, who was known for his incredible speed, tried to break this record. He didn't particularly close with a 14.3 second timing. Below is an article (dated April 5th, 1972) that mentions Swanson's record run being timed by AAU officials as I stated in my previous post. Interestingly, it also mentions Negro Leaguer San Jethroe beating 200 m Olympic Gold medalist Barney Ewell in 1948 in a 200 meter race!

http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=8 ... 095,584837

[dj]

As for the 13.3 seconds around the bases that is extremely fast. Back in the 1970's Mickey Rivers, who was known for his incredible speed, tried to break this record. He didn't particularly close with a 14.3 second timing. Below is an article (dated April 5th, 1972) that mentions Swanson's record run being timed by AAU officials as I stated in my previous post. Interestingly, it also mentions Negro Leaguer San Jethroe beating 200 m Olympic Gold medalist Barney Ewell in 1948 in a 200 meter race!

http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=8 ... 095,584837

This was an Ira Berkow story. But Berkow should stick to baseball; Mel Patton was the 1948 Olympic 200m gold medalist, not Barney Ewell.

[26mi235]

There is a difference between raw speed and minimizing time around the bases where agility (and lack of momentum that needs to be altered at a given speed, i.e., less mass, so Bo Jackson is at a disadvantage, as are many bulked-up sprinters). I would not be shocked if the super-jock basketball players could do the base circuit pretty fast.

[bad hammy]

Nice SI article on Torres' development as a baseball player: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/w ... index.html

[tandfman]

As for the 13.3 seconds around the bases that is extremely fast. Back in the 1970's Mickey Rivers, who was known for his incredible speed, tried to break this record. He didn't particularly close with a 14.3 second timing. Below is an article (dated April 5th, 1972) that mentions Swanson's record run being timed by AAU officials as I stated in my previous post. Interestingly, it also mentions Negro Leaguer San Jethroe beating 200 m Olympic Gold medalist Barney Ewell in 1948 in a 200 meter race!

http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=8 ... 095,584837

Jethroe was indeed a Negro Leaguer, but after the integration of MLB, he was also a major leaguer. In fact, he was National League Rookie of the Year when he first played in the majors (for the Boston Braves).

[no one]

Fastest ever timed is supposed to be Mantle at 3.1. (Although I've heard of a 2.9 time he once had, dont know if it was true or not)

from a Time article... "After Ichiro puts the ball in play, fielders have to deal with his speed down the line. The Mariners have timed him to first at a Mickey Mantle-like 3.7 seconds"

Where did you get 3.1 for Mantle, Evan? I was just going from memory and I thought it was 3.6.........

I stand corrected, Here is some times from a baseball fever thread.

Lefty Batters Running To 1B.
Time Runner
3.1--Mickey Mantle, Yanks
3.2--Mickey Mantle, Yanks
3.3--Mickey Mantle, Yanks
3.4--Mickey Mantle, Yanks
3.4--Gil Coan, Senators
3.5--Mickey Mantle, Yanks
3.6--Gene Woodling, Yanks
3.7--Larry doby, Indians
3.7-- Dale Mitchell, Indians
3.9--Jim Rivera, White Sox
3.9--Mickey Vernon, Senators

Righty batters runing To 1B
Time Runner
3.5--Mickey Mantle, Yanks
3.6--Phil Rizzuto, Yanks
3.6--Jim Busby, Senators
3.7--Johnny Groth, Tigers
3.7--Gil McDougald, Yanks
3.8--Bobby Avila, Indians
3.8--Al Federoff, Detroit
3.9--Jackie Jansen, Senators
3.9--Hank Bauer, Yanks
4.0--Billy Martin, Yanks
4.0--Allie Reynolds, Yanks

Mantle was said to have rounded the bases in 13 seconds. Cool Papa Bell in 12 seconds.

off topic: Mantles #1 monster home run was estimated to be equivalent to 734 feet - mileage may vary but it was computed from its various geometric variable.