Photo by: Cristina Byrne-Sternberg/Rocket City Trash Pandas

By Chuck Richter, AngelsWin.com

Torres spent three seasons pitching at Kansas State and was named to the Big 12 Championship All-Tournament Team in 2021. He made 49 relief appearances there as a junior before the Los Angeles Angels selected him in the 14th-round in the 2021 draft.

Last summer after he signed, Torres went straight to Tri-Cities, the Angels High-A affiliate where he had eight appearances that included four holds and six scoreless outings. The Angels started him in Double-A with the Trash Pandas this season and he took the ball late and never looked back as their closer. Torres currently leads the Southern League in Double-A with 18 saves and sparkling 1.76 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and .156 BAA. Torres has also fanned 70 batters over 46 innings this season, boasting a 13.70 SO/9. Even more impressive, over his 46 innings of work he's only given up three long balls. 

The six-foot southpaw goes after the opposition from a lower-slot sidearm look. He attacks the strikezone with a low 90's fastball that touches 95 mph, generating a bunch of whiffs due to the ride and run. Torres also throws a 80-84 mph slider that flashes above-average. He’s working on improving his changeup which should help him keep hitters off balance and make his out pitch (fastball) even tougher to hit.

We sat down with Torres on a recent homestand and talked baseball, the Trash Panda's club and playoff run they're on, in addition to some lighter side content where you'll come to learn a little bit about Torres' personal side. 

Check out our interview with Eric Torres below.