The reason the Mets valued Luis Torrens enough to sign him to a two-year extension earlier this season was because of his glove.
Even as a young prospect with the Yankees, Torrens stood out defensively.
Since then, he’s hit well enough to make a career for himself in the majors.
But lately, the longtime backup backstop has flexed his muscles with the bat as well.
On Sunday, as the Mets completed a sweep of the Nationals at Citi Field with a 4-3 win, Torrens homered for the fourth time in his last six starts.
“We love pitching to him,’’ Christian Scott said after the longest start of his major league career. “Anytime he can contribute offensively, we love it.”
Torrens has made a difference defensively throughout the season.
He’s caught the same number of innings as Francisco Alvarez and Mets pitchers entered Sunday with a 3.63 ERA pitching to Torrens and a 4.56 ERA with Alvarez behind the plate.
Torrens will never be able to match Alvarez’s power in the lineup, but he’s proven why the Mets like to use him at catcher frequently, while keeping Alvarez’s offense as DH.
The increased playing time has paid dividends for both Torrens and the Mets.
Torrens said getting into more games has helped “a lot” with his bat.
“It’s easier when you have more opportunities to play,’’ Torrens added through an interpreter. “You have to take advantage of it.”
Interim manager Andy Green has seen Torrens do that for a while.
Torrens made his MLB debut in 2017 with San Diego while Green was the manager.
The Padres plucked Torrens away from the Yankees in the Rule 5 draft the previous offseason despite Torrens being just 20 years old at the time of his MLB debut — and never having played above Class A in the minors.
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Green recalled being “nervous” about using the inexperienced Torrens in San Diego.
“I wasn’t excited to get a guy from rookie ball,’’ Green said. “The work he’s done the last decade to get to where he is now, it’s fun to see. He’s had some big swings for us now. It’s a heck of a journey.”
One that continued Sunday with a 405-foot shot out to center, a shade to the opposite field.
“He’s always driven the ball well in that direction,’’ Green said.
Green added some of Torrens’ recent surge might have been a product of the righty-hitting catcher “enjoying some of the parks we were playing in on the road” with “intelligent hitting.”
Sunday’s blast, though, was not that. “That ball was crushed,’’ Green said. “It doesn’t go out easy there. That was impressive.”
