PEORIA, Ariz. — It is becoming increasingly likely that the Mariners will carry three catchers when the club breaks camp.
Though Tom Murphy, Luis Torrens and Cal Raleigh were each on the team for the entire second half last season, Torrens was the full-time DH, and that positional structure won’t work this year. The Mariners plan to rotate the DH in order to build in rest for their everyday players and allocate at-bats to utility men Abraham Toro and Dylan Moore.
So, despite his defensive hiccups, Torrens is back behind the dish regularly. So is Murphy, the staff leader, and Raleigh, the former Top 100 prospect who is a part of the club’s long-term plans.
“They all bring different things to the mix,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said. “We could very realistically start with all three on the roster.”
How might it all work? Here’s a case and con for each.
Case: His bat was quietly one of the Mariners’ best last year. Upon returning from a Minor League demotion on June 15, Torrens’ .803 OPS and 121 wRC+ (league average is 100) each ranked second behind only team MVP Ty France. For those reasons, the Mariners believe he warrants consistent playing time. If it’s not behind the plate, they could also deploy him at first base, albeit not regularly, and he’s out of Minor League options.
“He knows he can hit,” Servais said. “He wants to show everybody he can hit, and when he’s not hitting, then he looks at his worth to the ballclub a little bit…
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