Mariners could start with 3 catchers on roster

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.

LUIS TORRENS

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 differently than maybe Murph does. That's just how Luis sees himself. It's slowly changing. He knows it's his ticket -- he's got to stay behind the plate, I think, to have a prolonged big league career.”

Con: Torrens looked overwhelmed defensively last year and struggled to navigate the pitching staff, which was reflected in his negative catcher framing numbers. Statcast looks at called strike rate to determine the percentage of non-swings on the edges of the zone converted into called strikes, and Torrens ranked 13th-worst among 100 qualified catchers at 43.7%.

CAL RALEIGH

Case: Raleigh is in better shape, has worked well with the entire pitching staff and has had solid numbers at the plate, hitting .267/.421/.667 (1.088 OPS). He seems more grounded than last year, too, when he hit .180/.223/.309 (.532 OPS) and admittedly lost confidence toward the end of his rookie season.

“Obviously, I didn’t do as well as I wanted to last year,” Raleigh said. “But I’m more in my legs, more grounded now. I feel good. My hands are a little higher. Obviously, my approach has changed. I came up last year and was overthinking too many things, the normal things that people do.”

Raleigh, whose defensive numbers were above-average last year, has been seeing increased playing time as Cactus League play has progressed, hinting that he might be in more consideration for an Opening Day roster spot than it initially appeared.

Con: If his offensive struggles mount again early, it could be a liability to a lineup that won’t have nearly as much of a leash to go through growing pains as it did last year. If he were to break camp at Triple-A Tacoma, where he was the affiliate’s top hitter in 2021, there would also seemingly be more regular playing time.

“Cal has shown some improvements with the bat,” Servais said. “It hasn't been as consistent as maybe he's hoped for yet. He's done a nice job catching. I’m really, really happy with that.”

TOM MURPHY

Case: His baseball IQ is among the highest on the team, as is his acumen with the entire pitching staff -- their strengths, weaknesses, quirks and everything in between. He’s also become, with J.P. Crawford and Mitch Haniger, one of the few leaders among the position-player nucleus, an intangible attribute whose value can’t be overstated.

“I think everybody knows what Murph brings to our team and our pitching staff,” Servais said.

Con: Murphy’s struggles at the plate were so pronounced early last year that it looked like he might be designated for assignment. He got back on track, but was one of the team’s streakiest hitters, finishing with a .655 OPS and 87 wRC+, and he really struggled against righties, hitting .170/.245/.259 (.504 OPS). The Mariners had one of the least-productive offenses in baseball last year, and Murphy’s leash for playing time might be shorter if those struggles continue.