Spencer Torkelson is on the board. One of the most-hyped rookies in Major League Baseball this season, Torkelson broke camp with the Tigers and debuted last Friday. He went 0 for 10 with seven strikeouts through his first four games, but in his first at-bat Tuesday against the Red Sox, he doubled for his first MLB hit.
It barely got in there, too. Take a look:
Hey, the proverbial monkey is off his back now. Torkelson can breathe easier. And, sure enough, Torkelson launched his first MLB home run Wednesday afternoon. Here is the milestone blast:
Torkelson was the first overall pick in the 2020 MLB draft out of Arizona State. Obviously, we know 2020 was a totally disjointed baseball season, but he did get 17 games in with ASU (he hit .340/.598/.780). Last season, he had stops with High-A (31 games), Double-A (50 games) and Triple-A (40 games).
Torkelson -- ranked as MLB's No. 8 prospect entering this spring -- hit a combined .267/.383/.552 with 29 doubles, 30 homers and 91 RBI in 530 plate appearances. In seven games in the Arizona Fall League, he was 9 for 20 (.450) with two doubles while walking more times than he struck out.
The upside is a feared, All-Star, middle-order power bat. Every tool is there. The very early struggles weren't too surprising. It's a tough transition to the majors and he hardly got any minor-league seasoning. He's only 22 years old.
Torkelson has notched two "firsts" the last two days. With those out of the way, he can settle in and get comfortable as a big leaguer, and make an impact for an ascendant Tigers team.
