While a 29-year-old backup catcher with a .226 career batting average and .642 career OPS may not jump off the page as a prime waiver wire pickup, Luis Torrens of the New York Mets is a perfect target for fantasy baseball managers. Entering the 14th week of the fantasy baseball season, Torrens is rostered in just 5% of Fantrax leagues and represents a massive opportunity for an offensive upgrade from the catcher position.
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Three Reasons to Add Luis Torrens Now
Reason #1: Increased Opportunity
Torrens’ career-high mark in plate appearances (378) came during the 2021 season with the Seattle Mariners. And with 148 trips to the plate so far this year, he’s on pace to reach 300 plate appearances for just the second time in his career. With a solid boost in playing time during the second half, Torrens could get more at-bats than he’s ever had in 2025.
It doesn’t hurt that the Mets recently optioned former top overall prospect Francisco Alvarez to Triple-A, which was done in part to give Torrens more playing time. More plate appearances will mean a big boost in value for fantasy baseball managers in points leagues, and it’ll also give Torrens’ actual numbers a chance to catch up to his expected statistics.
Reason #2: Outstanding Expected Statistics
In 133 at-bats this season, Torrens is batting just .218 with a .297 on-base percentage and .323 slugging percentage. All three are below the 50th percentile among MLB hitters, and those stats are a large reason he’s so widely available on the waiver wire.
However, his expected statistics tell a different story. There are only three hitters in baseball with at least 100 plate appearances and an xBA, xSLG, average exit velocity, and barrel rate at least as high as those of the Mets catcher (per Baseball Savant):
Batters with .307 xBA, .540 xSLG, 93 MPH EV, 16% Brl Rate (min. 100 PA)
1. Aaron Judge, NYY (.315, .719, 95.3 MPH, 25.2%)
2. Juan Soto, NYM (.319, .649, 94.3 MPH, 16.2%)
3. Luis Torrens, NYM (.307, .540, 93 MPH, 16.0%)
While he clearly won’t keep this up forever – he certainly isn’t a generational star like Judge or Soto – a hitter with such a large gap between his actual and expected statistics will regress toward his expected production over time.
One of Torrens’ biggest improvements from 2024 to 2025 came via his Launch Angle Sweet-Spot Rate. Last season, 36.3% of his batted balls were hit between 8-32 degrees, defined by Statcast as the optimal launch angle. This season, that proportion has risen to 41%. Hitting the ball at more effective launch angles can partially explain why Torrens – who has boasted a high hard-hit rate throughout his career – is producing higher-quality batted balls this season.
The Mets catcher also made significant changes to his batting stance this offseason. Last year, his stance was four degrees “open”, but this year he’s widened the lateral gap between his back and front foot to 13 degrees. That could also explain why Torrens is having an easier time picking up the ball this season (his chase and strikeout rates are the lowest they’ve been since 2020) and helps explain his elite batted-ball quality.
Reason #3: Positional Value
While Cal Raleigh and Will Smith have established themselves as some of the game’s best hitters despite also playing catcher, backstops have historically seen some of the lowest levels of offensive production among defensive positions.
That trend has largely continued this season. The fifth-highest batting average among qualified catchers is .248, posted by J.T. Realmuto. Given a lack of offensive firepower at his position, the value Torrens brings with his bat makes him all the more valuable to fantasy baseball managers.
2025 MLB xBA – Catchers, min. 100 PA
1. Luis Torrens, NYM (.307)
2. Alejandro Kirk, TOR (.304)
3. Will Smith, LAD (.297)
4. Drake Baldwin, ATL (.288)
5. Ivan Herrera, STL (.286)
An increase in Torrens’ playing time is on the horizon, and with it comes a huge opportunity for fantasy baseball managers – especially those in rotisserie leagues, given his high expected batting average – to pick up a catcher with elite expected statistics. While his actual production has left much to be desired so far this season, it’s worth taking a flyer on Torrens as he gets more playing time in Queens.
Be sure to check back next week for more Under the Radar content.
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