The New York Mets spent much of 2025 searching for consistency, but at least they can say two of their players belong in the defensive elite. MLB and Rawlings announced the finalists for the 2025 Gold Glove Awards on Wednesday, and two Mets, pitcher David Peterson and catcher Luis Torrens, are in that group.
These nominations carry weight beyond individual recognition. For the Mets, seeing two players honored for defensive excellence feels like a bright spot in an otherwise uneven season.
David Peterson: From All-Star to Defensive Standout
David Peterson’s 2025 season was a roller coaster, one that began with promise and ended with turbulence. Yet in the field, he was rock-solid from start to finish. Despite closing the year on a rough pitching stretch, Peterson’s defensive consistency never wavered — a reflection of his focus and athleticism on the mound.
Peterson posted six Defensive Runs Saved (DRS), one of the best marks among pitchers, and showed rare composure controlling the running game. His pickoff moves and ability to field balls hit near him cleanly often erased scoring threats before they could develop.
He’ll face tough competition for the award, going up against Matthew Boyd of the Chicago Cubs and Logan Webb of the San Francisco Giants. They will be challenging rivals, but Peterson’s all-around defensive profile gives him a legitimate shot.
If he wins, Peterson would become only the second pitcher in Mets history to capture a Gold Glove, joining Ron Darling, who earned the honor back in 1989. That 36-year gap says everything about how rare this kind of defensive recognition has been in Queens.
Luis Torrens: Quietly Building a Defensive Reputation
If Peterson’s case rests on reliability, Luis Torrens’ campaign is built on precision. The veteran backstop was a defensive revelation for New York, stepping up when Francisco Álvarez was sidelined for large chunks of the season.
Torrens didn’t light up the stat sheet with the bat — his 79 wRC+ makes that clear — but his glove told a very different story. He led all catchers in Caught Stealing Above Average (12), showing off an arm that routinely shut down would-be base stealers. His 1.87-second pop time ranked better than 97% of MLB catchers, according to Metsmerized Online, and his 94th-percentile Fielding Run Value placed him among the very best defenders in the sport.
Just as a conductor can steady an orchestra when chaos looms, Torrens brought calm to a Mets pitching staff that often needed it most. His framing, communication, and game-calling were critical during stretches when the Mets’ rotation was in flux.
Should Torrens take home the award, he would make franchise history — no catcher in Mets history has ever won a Gold Glove.
The Process and the Stakes
Gold Glove winners are determined through a mix of traditional voting and advanced metrics. Managers and coaches from each league cast ballots, accounting for 75% of the total vote. The remaining 25% is determined by the SABR Defensive Index, which integrates a range of defensive metrics to balance the eye test with data-driven evaluation.
For the Mets, the stakes extend beyond individual hardware. The organization hasn’t had a Gold Glove winner since Juan Lagares in 2014, a drought that underscores how much defensive excellence has eluded the club in recent years.
With David Peterson and Luis Torrens now in the running, New York has a chance to remind the baseball world that defense — long an overlooked component in the Mets’ narrative — still matters.
The 2025 Gold Glove winners will be announced on November 2, and if Peterson or Torrens hears their name called, it’ll mark more than just a personal triumph. It’ll be a symbol of the Mets rediscovering something fundamental: the value of doing the little things right, even when the big picture gets messy.