4 days Ago By Mark W. Sanchez
MIAMI — After an offseason in which the Mets spent over a billion dollars, their best player through a week might be their $1.5 million ostensible backup catcher. Luis Torrens, who has been thrust into the everyday job because of Francisco Alvarez’s hand surgery, has been a surprising two-way force who slugged a home run Tuesday and made the play of the Mets’ six-game season in Wednesday’s 6-5, 11-inning win over the Marlins at loanDepot Park.
In a game the Mets had just tied with a dramatic Pete Alonso home run, the Marlins were threatening to un-tie it against Edwin Díaz in the eighth inning. An infield single from Xavier Edwards presented an issue. A steal and a wild pitch that brought Edwards to third presented a problem.
Díaz struck out Kyle Stowers before Griffin Conine grounded directly to a shifted-in Brett Baty, the second baseman cleanly picking the ball and throwing home to cut down Edwards. Baty’s throw was off line, on the first base side of the plate, and Torrens backhanded the catch, then flung his arm back across his body blindly hoping to collide with Edwards’ hand. It worked — eventually, at least.
Edwards was called safe initially, and a Mets challenge overturned a call that still seems too close to call. The fact it was even close was a testament to an impressive amount of athleticism from a catcher the Mets picked up from the Yankees last season in exchange for cash. “Unbelievable play there,” manager Carlos Mendoza said.
“One of the biggest plays of the game.” Torrens was not finished. As Díaz — who struggles to hold base runners — fell behind Jonah Bride, Torrens caught the second straight ball and watched Conine take off for second base.
Torrens did not leave his stance, throwing a dart from his knees that brought his own body to the dirt. Baty caught the throw and slapped on a tag to escape an inning in which danger always seemed imminent. “Throwing from his knees,” Mendoza said, “pretty impressive.
” Torrens has been pretty impressive in six games in which he is batting .313, receiving strong marks from his pitchers and poor marks from opposing base stealers, who are 1-for-4 against him. The Mets seemed to collapse when Alvarez required thumb surgery last April and were not the same team until their talented young catcher returned in June.
This time, the Mets seem better positioned to withstand an Alvarez injury because they have a backup who at the least is a standout defender and at the most can do some of everything. “I think it starts off with confidence and knowing that you’re going to be in the lineup day in and day out,” Torrens said Tuesday, through interpreter Alan Suriel, of his strong start. “And then after that, it’s all the hard work you have to put in to be able to have that type of success.
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