Some high school data is courtesy David McWater. in Petaluma, CA (Age 25-361d, Tigers scouting director Scott Pleis explained the Tigers' choice thus: "Spencer is exactly the type of player we hoped would be there for us with the top pick in this years Draft. All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. 4 prospect in baseball according to MLB Pipeline. 1 overall pick Spencer Torkelson". I was like, All right, Im going to the gym at 5 in the morning before school, just to work hard. I didnt have a personal trainer or anything. (10-17, 3rd place in AL Central), Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Monday, May 1, 12:21AM. All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. [18] Over fifty games with Erie, he batted .263 with 14 home runs and 36 RBIs. 3B Spencer Torkelson assigned to West Michigan Whitecaps. thrown with. In Pac-12 games only, he led the conference in slugging (.754), runs (38), total bases (86) and home runs (14). Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. I wasnt in the clubhouse, obviously, but I could sense that was a tight-knit group. His selection was expected, as he had established as one of the top prospects in the nation months before the draft, and the fact that the coronavirus pandemic put a stop to all amateur baseball competitions in March simply consolidated his position, as there was no opportunity for other candidates to emerge before the draft. Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Monday, May 1, 12:21AM. "He was a freak of nature that way, ever since we were young." outfield. Total Zone Rating and initial framework for Wins above Replacement calculations provided by Sean Smith. Detroit Tigers prospect Spencer Torkelson was the No. Torkelson believed hed earned a spot -- until he received a phone call that he had been the last cut. School: Arizona State University (Tempe, AZ), Debut: I remember losing a tooth in the stands, he said. High School: Madison Central HS (Madison, MS), School: University of Alabama (Tuscaloosa, AL), Debut: The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. 3B Spencer Torkelson assigned to Lakeland Flying Tigers. raw numbers and as a measurement against average. Do you have a blog? Having an American become the star of a German soccer team, and then to have part of the stadium named after him, is pretty rare. I was a 12-year-old kid, living and dying with Little League. Anthony Volpe, SS, Yankees: 90 11. Finished tied with Bob Horner (1978) for second in ASU single-season history in home runs, just two shy of Mitch Jones' school record 27 in 2000. a batted-ball event with a launch angle between eight Torkelson was selected first overall by the Tigers in the 2020 Major League Baseball draft. [9] In 2019, Baseball America ranked Torkelson as the No. 1 pick in the 2020 draft on the strength of his top-of-the-scale power, and he is widely regarded as the best power-hitting prospect in the. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? Major League and Minor League Baseball data provided by Major League Baseball. Do you have a sports website? Michael Clair: "Dingers, drive-ins, dives: Torkelson's famous pal: Tigers' No. Spencer Torkelson Baseball Stats by Baseball Almanac Torkelson got off to a 3-for-18 start at the plate in spring training. Riley Greene - Baseball-Reference.com Selected as the No. It's odd just how aggressive he's been at the plate; this is a guy who had a 15% walk rate in the minors and a 9% walk rate as a rookie last year. He wanted to play on as many travel ball teams as he could. still Rogers Centre, not Sahlen Field. When Torkelson goes to the opposite-field gap with authority, it's usually a sign that he's seeing the ball well and is decisive. Spencer Torkelson was born on Thursday, August 26, 1999, in Petaluma, California. I really persevered throughout that and built up those mental callouses, to where the next time Im 0-for-20, Im not going to freak out. And so even as Torkelson scuffled earlier this year, he tapped into the reservoir of perspective hed developed over the previous decade. Find out more. Jeff Seidel: "Why Spencer Torkelson is a home run first pick for the Detroit Tigers". Do you have a blog? Jon Paul Morosi is a reporter for MLB.com and MLB Network. For a pitcher it is the average of his softest 50% of batted balls allowed. velocity and launch angle. Mike and Rick co-coached some of Spencers early Little League teams, and they still marvel at the local-record 36 home runs Spencer hit as a 12-year-old. Latest on Detroit Tigers first baseman Spencer Torkelson including news, stats, videos, highlights and more on ESPN He played 20 Pac-12 series and homered in 18 - the season finales against Cal (2018) and Stanford (2019) being the only exceptions. The expectation is that Torkelson at the outset. In fact, Tigers fans will be enthused to learn one aspect of Torkelsons perspective on the Giants three World Series championships in the previous decade: He values the camaraderie he witnessed among homegrown position players Buster Posey, Brandon Crawford and Brandon Belt -- all of whom remain with the Giants now. Data Provided By August 26, 1999 We present them here for purely educational purposes. He also played in the 2021 Futures Game. Torkelson leads all Tigers in exit velocity in spring training, and he launched his first homer on Saturday. Spencer Turnbull has played for 1 team, the Detroit Tigers. He could be at least adequate in left field, but most observers want him to stay at first base so he can focus on hitting. Hinch: 'We want him to be a big contributor, because he's a really good player'".