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Spencer Torkelson reacts to his Detroit Tigers return: 'I belong here'
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- Spencer Torkelson reacts to his Detroit Tigers return: 'I belong here'
Detroit Tigers first baseman Spencer Torkelson , the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 draft, walked into the home clubhouse at Comerica Park on Saturday morning with the biggest smile on his face.
He took a direct route to his locker, positioned between the lockers of Riley Greene and Parker Meadows , down the line from Kerry Carpenter and a few steps from Colt Keith . In a perfect world, those five players will be the core of the Tigers ' offense for years to come.
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Torkelson still has a lot to prove.
"There's definitely some good nerves in there," said Torkelson, batting sixth and playing first base. "But gosh, I miss this place, and I miss these guys. I belong here, so it's good to be back."
The Tigers recalled Torkelson from Triple-A Toledo before Saturday's game against the New York Yankees at Comerica Park. He hit .239 with 11 home runs, 42 walks and 85 strikeouts in 58 games for the Mud Hens, spanning 275 plate appearances from June 4 to Aug. 15.
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Detroit Tigers first baseman Spencer Torkelson (20) hits a double in the second inning against the New York Yankees at Comerica Park in Detroit on Saturday, Aug. 17, 2024.
Torkelson, who turns 25 in less than two weeks, hadn't played for the Tigers since June 1, demoted for the second time in his three-year MLB career. He didn't change his swing in the minor leagues, but he changed his approach at the plate.
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He expects to do a better job of trusting the game plan, rather than selling out for pull-side power.
"I was definitely trying to do too much," said Torkelson, who hit .201 with four home runs and a .597 OPS in 54 games in his first stint with the Tigers this season, "and as much as I don't want to admit it, I definitely was, and in this game, if you're at the plate trying to produce and trying to slug, that's not the key to success. The key to success is a solid, consistent approach, being a hitter first and trusting my natural swing and my natural power to come through off of that."
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The Tigers swapped Torkelson, a right-handed hitter, for fellow first baseman Bligh Madris, a left-handed hitter , to help balance the lineup with a much-needed right-handed hitter, following the promotions of left-handed hitting infield prospects Jace Jung and Trey Sweeney .
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Most importantly, the Tigers need to see how Torkelson performs in the final six weeks of the 2024 season as an evaluation period to help make decisions for 2025 and beyond.
It's the third chance for Torkelson to stick in the big leagues.
"We've seen some good with him," manager A.J. Hinch said pregame. "We've also seen him work through a few things. We felt like it was necessary to give him some runway here to see those adjustments at this level. It's so awesome to have him back."
Detroit Tigers first baseman Spencer Torkelson (20) gets set for the pitch in the second inning against the New York Yankees at Comerica Park in Detroit on Saturday, Aug. 17, 2024.
In Triple-A, Torkelson spent time working on his defense with infield coordinator Billy Boyer, as both Torkelson and Boyer stayed in contact with Tigers infield coach Joey Cora .
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Torkelson, who doesn't have any defensive versatility, was worth minus-5 defensive runs saved before getting demoted. He has been worth minus-19 defensive runs saved in roughly 2,750 innings in the big leagues, while hitting .218 with a .683 OPS in 323 games.
"First base defense, I think, is underrated across the board," said Hinch, who has three below-average infield defenders in Torkelson at first base, Keith at second base and Jung at third base. "We immediately look at offense at that position, but you touch the ball as much as anybody. ... He's got to be a positive defender to be the best player he can be, so it's very important."
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Offense, though, is Torkelson's calling card.
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Specifically, the Tigers want Torkelson to hit the ball hard and hit the ball in the air, which will lead to home runs. He improved against high-velocity fastballs in Toledo, but despite that positive trend, he struggled more than ever before against sliders.
"Help the team win in any way possible," Torkelson said, when asked to share his goals in the final six weeks. "Be as consistent as possible in my approach. Try to win every single day."
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Detroit Tigers first baseman Spencer Torkelson (20) scores a run on a single by Detroit Tigers shortstop Zach McKinstry (39) (not pictured) in the second inning at Comerica Park in Detroit on Saturday, Aug. 17, 2024.
Here's a sample of what Torkelson did in Toledo: He hit .268 with a 21.6% whiff rate against fastballs that registered at least 93 mph, he hit .194 with a 47.4% whiff rate against sliders, and he hit .231 with a 44.9% whiff rate against changeups/splitters.
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He had a concerning 30.9% strikeout rate.
"It felt really complicated, but it was a really easy answer to get," said Torkelson, who hit .233 with 31 home runs in 159 games for the Tigers in 2023. "It was just, 'How do I get back to being myself?' Myself is a simple approach at the plate, and that produces everything I want and need in this league."
Finally, the time has come for Torkelson to prove it.
The Tigers are giving him a big opportunity — again.
"We'll give him a long leash to come back and be on this team," Hinch said.
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold .
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Spencer Torkelson reacts to his Detroit Tigers return: 'I belong here'
