What Luis Torrens Can Do for the Cubs

As Spring Training came to a close, the Cubs were uncharacteristically late in determining the final roster. After years with more locks than holes around the diamond, the 2023 Chicago Cubs came into Spring Training with only a handful of positions—namely, the middle infield and the corner outfield—without debate. That naturally led to more uncertainty for this year’s 26-man–and more opportunity, depending on how you look at it.

While many were discussing the merits of their utility man of choice, an arguably surprising name claimed one of the bench spots: Luis Torrens. While a quick glance at his -0.3 fWAR and 72 wRC+ might not exactly scream must-have, there’s a lot more going on under the hood that makes Torrens an interesting pick.

Signed as a 16-year-old out of Venezuela by the Yankees in 2012, he eventually found his way to the Padres by way of the Reds via the Rule 5 draft. For those who aren’t aware, the Rule 5 draft is a process that allows teams to select players from other organizations who have yet to be added to the 40-man roster. For players drafted while they’re under 18, they’re eligible for the Rule 5 draft after their 5th full season. However, it doesn’t come without a catch (or a few of them). For one, the team that selects a player has to add that player to their active roster, and keep them on the roster without optioning them at any point for the entire season following their selection. Otherwise, the player is offered back to the team they were selected from.

It’s a tough balancing act, with teams trying to find players who slipped through the cracks with their original org, but who look ready to be added to a major-league roster. Of course, this isn’t always the case—and that’s how 21-year-old Torrens found himself on the 2017 Padres’ big-league roster, despite having not played above A-ball to that point. Originally an infielder, he soon converted to catcher while still in the New York system, and while he’s been commended for his rapport with pitchers, his defense has left something to be desired. He’s seen as a bat-first talent with potential 20-homer power. This did not materialize in his 2017 season, where he posted a paltry 17 wRC+, second-worst in the majors among players with at least 130 plate appearances, behind only fellow catcher Luke Maile, then with Toronto.

Fortunately, things picked up for Torrens from there. He found his way back to the minors, where he put up a much more respectable 142 wRC+ in nearly 100 games at AA. After a second cup of coffee with San Diego, he was shipped north to Seattle in the trade for Austin Nola. In 2021 and 2022, he appeared in 165 games for the Mariners, and posted a 101 and 72 wRC+, respectively.

Well, that’s great and all, but what’s so special about a below-average hitting catcher that made him a can’t-miss player for the Cubs this year? First and foremost is the optimism about his bat. Of course, behind Yan Gomes and Tucker Barnhart, even a league-average hitting catcher would be an upgrade, and there’s reason to think he might have higher heights still to come. 

He’s shown out well in spring, for what that’s worth (not a ton!), contributing a 1.021 OPS to the Cubs’ spring efforts. He enters 2023 as a 26-year-old; his 15-game rolling wRC+ seems to suggest he’s starting to figure things out, and the peaks are nothing to scoff at.

Second, he already hits lefties well, making him a good replacement for Barnhart, especially.

The Cubs have kinda been a 3-catcher team for a while.

'16: Contreras, Montero, Ross
'17: Contreras, Caratini, Avila/Montero
'19: Contreras, Caratini, Lucroy/Maldonado
'21: Contreras, Higgins + bunch of guys
'22: Contreras, Gomes, Higgins
'23: Gomes, Barnhart, Torrens

— Michael Cerami (@Michael_Cerami) March 28, 2023

As pointed out by Michael Cerami on Twitter, the Cubs tend to carry 3 catchers, where possible. Given the low expectations placed on Gomes’s and Barnhart’s bats; top Cubs catching prospect Miguel Amaya’s injury issues and lack of experience; Moises Ballesteros’ distance to the majors (he’s only 19), and a potential injury to veteran backstop Dom Nuñez (signed to catch at AAA as the next in line), Torrens gives the Cubs a young, controllable catcher with some remaining upside. All he cost was a roster spot.