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NY Mets catcher has an opportunity to capitalize on his strong numbers under the hood

The New York Mets recently optioned Francisco Alvarez to Triple-A. But this could help Luis Torrens live up to some of his impressive Statcast metrics.
ByNoah Wright|
Jun 5, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA;New York Mets catcher Luis Torrens (13) celebrates while rounding the bases after hitting a solo home run against the Washington Nationals during the sixth inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
Jun 5, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA;New York Mets catcher Luis Torrens (13) celebrates while rounding the bases after hitting a solo home run against the Washington Nationals during the sixth inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

The New York Mets recently shuttled young backstop Francisco Alvarez back to Triple-A. 2025 has been a rough year for the former top prospect. He initially suffered a fracture in his left hamate bone in early March. This kept him out of action until late April, but since returning to the diamond, he’s only managed to post a .652 OPS, .296 wOBA, and 91 wRC+ across 142 plate appearances.

However, the Mets sending Alvarez to Triple-A for the time being opens the door for Luis Torrens to potentially take advantage of his strong underlying numbers. Torrens hasn’t hit great this year, only slashing .227/.303/.336. Although he has both an above-average 21.1% K% and 9.2% walk rate, Torrens has just a single home run and an isolated slugging percentage of just .109.

But a look under the hood shows some extremely promising things that could be coming Torrens’ way.

Luis Torrens can start living up to his Statcast's suggested stats

Torrens has a 93.5 MPH exit velocity and 16.8% barrel percentage, the former of which is the same as both Vlad Guerrero Jr. and Bobby Witt Jr., and the latter coming in higher than Juan Soto, Elly De La Cruz, and Rafael Devers. This has led to some auspicious expected numbers.

Torrens has a .400 xwOBA, with the only Mets on the roster having a better mark being Pete Alonso and Juan Soto. Torrens also has an elite .556 xSLG% and .312 xBA. Only 16 batters this year have both an xBA of at least .300 and an xSLG% over .500 with as many plate appearances as Torrens currently has. 

Torrens doesn’t have to hit exactly how his expected numbers suggest he could. Even being an average or better hitter with his defense would work. Torrens has +4 defensive runs saved and +0.6 framing runs. His 1.88-second poptime is in the top 93rd percentile of catchers this season. The only thing Torrens has struggled with is blocking, as he’s already allowed four passed balls this season with -3 blocking runs.

However, there’s definitely potential for Torrens to at least improve upon his current production at the dish. He has a decent approach and has a chase rate of 21.8%. His whiff rate also comes in at 23.8%. Not swinging outside the strike zone at a high rate, not missing very often, and making outstanding contact is usually a recipe for success. If the Mets give Torrens more playing time at a regular rate, he may start to hit better, like the numbers under the hood suggest he can.

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