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2007 Fished out of the teeming pool of backup catchers, Torrealba started the season on the DL, but when he finally did play from June through August he did well, at least by backup catcher standards. The shoulder that had troubled him from the start finally shelved him for good in September. A good defensive catcher with a very strong arm, Torrealba should make a satisfactory backup to Iannetta this year. 2006 Considered a promising prospect after a solid 2002 season as a 23-year-old backup for the Giants, the M`s snagged Torrealba along with Jesse Foppert for Randy Winn at the trade deadline, hoping to find the production they`ve lacked behind the plate for years. One hundred eight at-bats and a Kenji Johjima signing later, Torrealba was shipped to Colorado for Marcos Carvajal, a deal that could end up being the proverbial good trade for both teams. 2005 When Brian Sabean traded Joe Nathan, Boof Bonser and Francisco Liriano for A.J. Pierzynski, many Giants fans wondered why they didn't simply play Torrealba instead. Now the Pierzynski deal looks even worse, while Torrealba remains a somewhat flawed but cheap, serviceable option. He won't play much with Matheny on board for the next three years. 2003 The unsung hero of the 2002 Giants. No one said word one about Torrealba’s performance all year, but when all was said and done he probably should have been part of the Rookie of the Year discussion. The list of catchers with as many plate appearances as Torrealba who hit better (measured by EQA) is awfully short: Posada, Piazza, Rodriguez, Lieberthal, and Redmond. That’s it. While 150 plate appearances doesn’t wipe out seven years of so-so play in the minors, you also can’t completely ignore that kind of hitting from a 23-year-old with a good defensive rep in his first major league season. He could have a nice career in front of him. 2002 What were the odds of two catchers named "Torrealba" making their major-league debuts in the same week? Yorvit and Steve (with the Braves) turned the trick last September. This Torrealba is a glove man who could hit an empty .275 in the majors; that sucks, until you realize he would be both better and cheaper than Benito Santiago. John Flaherty looked about like this in 1994, so don't be surprised to see Torrealba as a staple of Hacking Mass lineups for years to come. 2000 Perhaps the closest thing the Giants have to a sleeper, Torrealba hit .315 in A ball before struggling at both Double- and Triple-A. He's a 21-year-old catcher with a very nice upside. Given the Giants' recent track record with young talent, that probably means he's the next Doug Mirabelli. 1999 Came up quickly through the ranks last season, but he sure didn't do it with his bat. He gets lots of attention for his glove, which may just be Nichols' Law at work (Nichols’ Law: if a catcher isn’t hitting, he’ll get a rep as a great defensive player). Regardless, his hitting makes Kirt Manwaring look like Yogi Berra, which means Yorvit's glove must be a lot better than Manwaring's.
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