Luis de la Torre: Break Out Whiff-Meister

SF Giants August 7, 2025

Photo Credit: Bill Mitchell | Baseball America

It’s certainly always enjoyable to follow a star in the making as a prospect. Buster Posey was supposed to be great. He was great at every level he was sent to. He burst through them all quickly. And then he showed up in the majors and was great — with many good things following subsequently. That was fun!

But there is a special pleasure in finding the breakout — the previously unknown talent suddenly asserting themselves on our consciousness. Now, to be honest and fair, we certainly think we are seeing a real breakout far more often than we actually are. There’s many a pronounced breakout from one year who show up on the release logs in another. It’s a tricky business that demands constant evolution.

But, lacking the ability to see accurately into the future, it would certainly appear as though Luis de la Torre (and his fellow anonymous extended camp teammate, Keyner Martinez) is having a real breakout. I saw de la Torre in camp this year, but I guess I didn’t really see him. I have my note from March right here:

De La Torre 92-94 good gloveside run w slurvy breaker

Seems a little lacking in enthusiasm, doesn’t it? Sometimes guys come into camp and blow you away, and sometimes they’re there doing what camp is for — just getting started. De la Torre was just getting started.

HITTER of the NIGHT: Turner Hill (Rich), 3 for 4, 2b, 2 R, 1 RBI
PITCHER of the NIGHT: Luis de la Torre (SJ), 5.0 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 0 BB, 10 K

The morning has come and we must be about our rounds. Come along to the Lines…