DETROIT TIGERS TOP 10 PROSPECTS
1. SPENCER TORKELSON, 1B
AGE: 21. B-T: R-R. HT: 6-1. WT: 220. DRAFTED: Arizona State, 2020 (1st round). SIGNED BY: Joey Lothrop.
TRACK RECORD: Torkelson was a jack-of-all trades at Casa Grande High in Petaluma, Calif., playing football and basketball in addition to baseball and spending time as both a pitcher and position player on the diamond. He was on the fringe of draft radars but went undrafted out of high school. As a freshman at Arizona State, Torkelson led the nation with 25 home runs and smashed Barry Bonds’ school freshman home run record. He followed up by batting .351/.446/.707 with 23 home runs as a sophomore and entered his junior season on the verge of breaking the Sun Devils’ career home run record and entering the national top 10. Torkelson drew 31 walks in 17 games in 2020 as opponents gave him the Bonds treatment and simply pitched around him, but he still managed to hit six home runs in limited action before the season was shut down because of the coronavirus pandemic. The Tigers decided he was their pick early in the process and wasted no time selecting him No. 1 overall, signing him for a draft record $8.146 million bonus. The only surprise was that they announced Torkelson as a third baseman.
Torkelson’s power is enormous, but he’s far from an all-or-nothing slugger. A strong, physical righthanded hitter, Torkelson has plus bat speed and manages the strike zone with ease. His advanced barrel control and hand-eye coordination are complemented by exceptional timing. He hits all types of pitches, draws
