San Diego Padres: Getting to Know Rule 5 Additions

Luis Torrens, C

In order to add Torrens, the Padres had to give up infield prospect Van Meter. So there is definitely something in the young catcher that caught the organization’s eye.

His stats are not stellar, but Torrens has shown consistency. Steadily rising through the New York Yankees organization for four seasons, the 20-year-old finished 2016 in Single-A Charleston.

Hitting .250 in his professional career, Torrens is not going to be a huge bat in San Diego’s lineup. But consistency continues to be a theme, as he has only struck out 123 times and walked 73 times. As a reliable hitter and one that can make very solid contact for a catcher, Torrens will not be an offensive liability.

Defensively, it is safe to say that the Venezuelan excels. With 1126 innings under his belt, Torrens has only committed nine errors. With a fielding percentage of .993, Torrens also manages to throw out 41% of would be base stealers.

With Austin Hedges and Christian Bethancourt currently on the roster, there won’t be a whole lot of opportunity for this addition to play in 2017. But getting this third catcher on the roster most certainly puts the position to rest for the offseason.