Daily updates on Spencer Torkelson from May
Keeping tabs on the No. 3 overall prospect
May 30: Scores run, goes hitless
One day after a two-homer outburst, Torkelson had a rather quiet Sunday for High-A West Michigan. The No. 1 pick of the 2020 MLB Draft went 0-for-3 with a walk and a run scored in a 7-1 Whitecaps victory. Even with Sunday's performance, Torkelson has swung a hot bat recently. He is 10-for-27 through his previous eight games, raising his average from .146 to .235. Gameday »
May 29: Blasts two homers in return to lineup
Maybe all Spencer Torkelson needed to turn it around was a few days off. After a four-game absence, the Tigers' top prospect went 3-for-6 with a single and two three-run home runs as High-A West Michigan took down Lake County. His homer opened the floodgates for the Whitecaps, as the team scored 13 runs once he launched his first go-ahead dinger in the sixth. Torkelson was one of four West Michigan hitters with multiple RBIs on the day. More »
May 25: Expecting a quick return
Torkelson's hamstring tightness certainly gave Tigers fans a bit of a scare, but it sounds as if the team's top prospect will be back on the field soon. Torkelson told High-A West Michigan radio broadcaster Dan Hasty that it's "not out of the question" he could return to action by the end of the week.
“As long as I feel good, I'm going to keep moving forward in the recovery,” Torkelson said, “but I think I feel great today. It's just a little tight, and that's all. We'll see where we're at tomorrow and go from there.”
Torkelson got off to a bit of a slow start this season, but was starting to heat up before he left Sunday's game with hamstring tightness. Torkelson hit his first homer Saturday and has four hits in his past nine at-bats. More »
May 22: Clubs first professional home run
Spencer Torkelson homered to center field on a ball hit an estimated 419 feet to collect his first dinger as a pro during a 3-for-4 performance in High-A West Michigan's 9-8 loss in the first game of a doubleheader at Wisconsin. More »
May 20: Walks twice in hitless night
Spencer Torkelson got on base three times in High-A West Michigan's 4-1 victory with two walks and a hit-by-pitch. Torkelson ended the night 0-for-2, but flashed his great plate vision in the win. Gameday »
May 19: Collects RBI in multi-hit night
Spencer Torkelson might be starting to heat up, as the No.1 overall pick in the 2020 Draft drove in another run for High-A West Michigan Wednesday. Torkelson ended the night 2-for-4 with two singles and a strikeout. His batting average still sits at .188, but his OBP sits at a much more encouraging .349. Gameday »
May 18: Smashes two-run double
Spencer Torkelson hasn't been at his best to start the year, as the No.1 overall pick in the 2020 Draft is batting .159, but he's shown flashes of brilliance throughout the early part of the year. He did so again Tuesday with a two-run double off the wall in High-A West Michigan's 8-4 win. Torkelson ended the night going 1-for-3 with two RBIs and a run scored. He also flexed his plate vision, working two walks. Gameday »
May 16: Goes hitless in five ABs
Spencer Torkelson went 0-for-5 with a couple of strikeouts on Sunday. He has now struck out 17 times in 41 at-bats with High-A West Michigan. The Tigers' No. 1 prospect is still looking for his first home run as a pro. He owns a .146 batting average and a .171 slugging percentage. Gameday »
May 15: Plays role of walk-off hero
Spencer Torkelson set off a celebration Saturday as his soft liner into center field brought home the winning run for High-A West Michigan.
“The biggest moment in the professional career of the @tigers number one overall pick!”@ThatDanHasty has the call as Spencer Torkelson (@spennyt) walks it off to beat Great Lakes 2-1 on Saturday night! pic.twitter.com/vzHJBjfJEM
— West Michigan Whitecaps (@wmwhitecaps) May 16, 2021
The Tigers' top prospect went 1-for-4, recording a walk, a strikeout and two popouts prior to his ninth-inning hit. Torkelson's power has yet to materialize as he has just one extra-base hit for the Whitecaps. But the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 MLB Draft has shown a refined approach at the plate. His walk Saturday was his 10th in 10 games as a pro. He has a .167/.354/.194 slash line. Gameday »
May 14: Defensive gem salvages quiet game
Spencer Torkelson may have gone hitless in his outing today, but the Tigers' top prospect made a nice play at first base to save the day. Torkelson ended the day 0-for-4 with a walk and a strikeout, but flashed some leather in the first, leaning over the railing to catch a foul popup. Gameday »
May 13: Tork gets on base three times again
After reaching base three times Wednesday, Spencer Torkelson did the same on Thursday. Torkelson went 1-for-3 with two walks. His OBP is now .368 despite hitting just .179 so far this season. It should came at no surprise, as Torkelson had a .463 OBP in his three seasons at Arizona State. Gameday »
May 12: Reaches base three times in 1-for-3 night
Spencer Torkelson looked significantly more comfortable at the plate today, going 1-for-3 with two walks and an RBI. After some struggles yesterday, Torkelson turned in a solid performance for High-A West Michigan. His RBI came on a bases-loaded walk in the second inning. Gameday »
May 11: Struggles continue for Tork
After an off-day and a postponement, Spencer Torkelson struggled yet again for High-A West Michigan, going 0-for-3 with a walk. It was just Torkelson's fifth professional game, but the 2020 No.1 overall Draft pick is hitting only .136. Gameday »
May 8: Breaks out for three RBI night
Spencer Torkelson seems to have found his groove, as the 2020 No.1 overall Draft pick went 2-for-3 with three RBIs for High-A West Michigan. Torkelson stroked a double and a two-RBI single, drew a walk and even stole a base in his finest performance this season. The Tigers prospect also crossed the plate three times as West Michigan put up 16 runs on the day. Torkelson is still hitting just .158 on the season, but a day like this is encouraging after he went hitless in three of his first four professional games. Gameday »
May 7: Walks in quiet night
Spencer Torkelson went hitless again Friday night, going 0-for-4 with a walk. The No. 1 overall pick from the 2020 Draft isn't hitting quite at the same level as he was during his three years at Arizona State, but given that it is just his fourth professional game, Torkelson is still getting his feet under him at the High-A level. Gameday »
May 6: Leaves five on base in 0-for-5 night
It was a game to forget for Torkelson, as he stranded five baserunners and struck out three times in an 0-for-5 performance. His struggles have earned him a .083 batting average, albeit in just his first three professional games. Gameday »
May 5: First hit in the books
After going 0-for-3 in his professional debut, Spencer Torkelson picked up his first hit in his second at-bat of game No. 2. The No. 1 overall pick from the 2020 Draft finished 1-for-4 with a single and also scored a run. Gameday »
May 4: Goes 0-for-3 in pro debut
The first regular-season game of Spencer Torkelson's professional career is in the books. The Tigers' top prospect made his debut at High-A for the West Michigan Whitecaps in the 2021 Minor League season opener on Tuesday.
Batting in the No. 2 spot and playing third base against the Fort Wayne TinCaps, the Padres' High-A affiliate, Torkelson went 0-for-3 with one walk and three strikeouts.
The 21-year-old drew his walk against left-hander Ethan Elliott in the third inning. He struck out against Elliott in his first at-bat and against right-handers Felix Minjarez and Austin Smith in his last two at-bats.
April 29: Assigned to High-A
The road to Detroit will take Spencer Torkelson to Class A West Michigan when the Minor League season begins next week. Rosters were revealed for the entire Tigers farm system on Thursday as prospects get ready for their first Minor League games in nearly two years. Full-season affiliates begin play next Tuesday.
Torkelson, the top overall selection in last summer’s MLB Draft, becomes the first top overall pick to pass through West Michigan in franchise history. He joins fellow 2020 Tigers pick Dillon Dingler, Daniel Cabrera and Trei Cruz at West Michigan in the Whitecaps’ first foray into High-A ball. Parker Meadows and Bryant Packard return, joining Cabrera in what should be a stacked outfield, along with reliever Zack Hess. More »
March 30: Lessons from Spring Training
Torkelson’s first Spring Training as a professional player ended Tuesday with a ball fitting of the top prospect’s frustrations -- a 409 foot drive caught on the warning track. There were no Tork Bombs, but there were plenty of learning experiences. He went 1-for-27, his lone hit a single on March 13 against the Phillies, with four walks and 16 strikeouts. His most famous cut came from his makeshift attempt at opening a can while making dinner, a mishap that would be a footnote for most prospects but a story for baseball’s most recent top overall Draft pick.
Torkelson, MLB Pipeline's No. 3 overall prospect, earned high marks through it all, not only for his work ethic, but his humility and sense of humor. Still, his frustration was evident after his at-bats. He didn’t chase many pitches, which was good, but he was caught indecisive on pitches in the zone.
March 13: First Spring Training hit
After a slow start to his first Spring Training, Torkelson lined his first hit of the spring in a pinch-hit appearance versus the Phillies. Torkelson broke an 0-15 spell to start the spring, lining a base hit to left field in the Tigers 9-3 loss. Gameday »
March 4: Rolling with the punches
The early scouting reports from Spencer Torkelson's first Spring Training are in: 70-grade power, 80-grade sense of humor and humility.