Seattle Mariners catcher Luis Torrens’ future is now
Luis Torrens, acquired from San Diego in the Austin Nola trade, is the Seattle Mariners catcher of the present and future.
One of the key returns the Seattle Mariners received from San Diego in the Austin Nola trade was catcher Luis Torrens. He came to the Emerald City with outfielder Taylor Trammel, utility man Ty France and pitcher Andres Munoz.
As of now, Torrens is Seattle’s number one catcher. After only a month with the team, M’s fans may be asking who is Luis Torrens?
Nicknamed“churro,” Torrens was born in the same hometown as Felix Hernandez, Valencia, Venezuela. He signed with the Yankees in 2012 as a 16-year-old free agent. Four years later, Cincinnati plucked him out of the Bronx Bombers system in the Rule 5 Draft.
Growing up fast
One of the conditions of Rule 5 is that a player selected must remain on the major league roster for an entire season or be optioned back to the team he was drafted from. As it turned out, Cincy wasn’t even a layover. The Reds immediately shipped him to San Diego.
The Padres had to keep Torrens on the roster for the entire 2017 season. At 20 years old, the backstop went from Class-A to the Majors.
Torrens didn’t have the opportunity to play in Double-A. Players go through the minor leagues to develop. Double-A ball is a must. As a matter of fact, it’s much more common than it was a few years ago for top prospects to skip Triple-A (see Evan White). For catchers, the process is even more important.
Bypassing the two highest levels of the minors is almost unheard of, but that’s how much the Padres thought of Torrens. He stuck in San Diego all season, playing in 51 games with a .163 batting average. Once the season ended and his spot on the Padres 40-man roster secured, Torrens went back into the developmental system.
What happened after the 2017 season says a lot about Torrens’ character. He was sent to high Single-A to begin 2018, where he continued to make progress and topped out at Double-A. In 2019 as his defensive game improved, so did his bat. He played in seven games for the Friars that year and seven more in 2020 before the trade.
Welcome to the Emerald City
He hit the ground running after joining Seattle. Torrens became manager Scott Servais’ number one backstop during September.
Just like pitching, a Major League team can never have enough catching. Trading away Nola hurt, but I love the deal because along with Trammel and France, who are highly graded, the Mariners got a catcher who has been growing as a player over the past two years.
At the end of the season, Torrens was not only trying to hit in the big leagues, but he was also getting to know a new pitching staff. He probably didn’t even know the pitcher’s names, but he had to learn the two to four different pitches of each, as well as how pitchers responded to different counts and Torrens did it very well.,
The Seattle Mariners now have a catcher that can adapt to situations quickly and someone who is making progress in both hitting and defense. I can’t wait to see him with a full spring training with the Mariners.
Is Torrens the catcher of the future? M’s number eight prospect Cal Raleigh currently holds that title. It isn’t set in stone. Considering Torrens is 24-years-old, he could be in the Emerald City for several more seasons. In the meantime, Torrens and returning veteran Tom Murphy have the position locked down.