NY Mets record when Luis Torrens starts adds pressure on Francisco Alvarez

The New York Mets win when Luis Torrens is behind the plate. The numbers don’t lie, the team is 19-10 this season with Torrens in the starting lineup. Known for his defensive prowess, his bat has been better than anyone could have expected. In 82 at-bats, Torrens is hitting .262 with 11 RBI and a .787 OPS. 

The Mets two wins in their last seven games have both come with Luis Torrens behind the plate.

For a team that has struggled mightily with runners in scoring positions, Torrens is hitting .333 in those situations. After his double off Garrett Crochet in Wednesday’s win over Boston, he’s now hitting .400 in 20 plate appearances against left-handed pitching. He was the catalyst to the Mets' first four runs in that win. The career backup catcher is forcing Carlos Mendoza’s hand. 

Francisco Alvarez is the Mets' franchise catcher. Nobody is saying otherwise, but Torrens' hot start to 2025 certainly puts pressure on Alvarez to get things going. Since his 25-home run campaign in 2023, Alvarez’s power has been way down, with just a single homer so far this year in 64 at-bats. Alvarez doesn’t have a hit this season in twelve appearances against lefties. That could be Mendoza’s opportunity to get Torrens in the lineup a bit more. As a team the Mets are only hitting .247 against left handed pitching. 

The bright spot for Alvarez is that, as good as Torrens' defense has been, he’s been just as good. Torrens is third in MLB with a 52% caught stealing percentage but Alvarez isn’t far behind at 36%, way better than he’s been in previous seasons. Alvarez is in the top half of the league in blocked balls and is fourth in all of MLB in pop time. Both of those stats, he is ahead of Torrens. Mets pitchers seem to enjoy throwing to Alvarez, but he needs to show much more with the bat. He looked more composed in his two-hit night in Boston on Monday, and it should take plenty more games like that to keep Torrens' bat out of the lineup.