| Spencer Torkelson | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Torkelson with theToledo Mud Hens in 2021 | |
| Detroit Tigers – No. 20 | |
| First baseman /Third baseman | |
| Born: (1999-08-26)August 26, 1999 (age 26) Petaluma, California, U.S. | |
Bats: Right Throws: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 8, 2022, for the Detroit Tigers | |
| MLB statistics (through 2025 season) | |
| Batting average | .227 |
| Home runs | 80 |
| Runs batted in | 237 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| |
Spencer Enochs Torkelson (born August 26, 1999) is an Americanbaseballfirst baseman for theDetroit Tigers ofMajor League Baseball (MLB). Torkelson was selectedfirst overall by the Tigers in the2020 Major League Baseball draft.
Torkelson attendedCasa Grande High School inPetaluma, California, where he played baseball, football and basketball.[1] During his high school baseball career, hebatted .430 with 11home runs and 99runs batted in (RBIs). He committed toArizona State University (ASU) to playcollege baseball for theArizona State Sun Devils.[2]
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As a freshman at Arizona State, Torkelson batted .320/.440/.743 with 25 home runs and 53 RBIs over 55 games. The 25 home runs led the nation, set aPac-12 Conference record for home runs by a freshman, and also brokeBarry Bonds' school record for home runs by a freshman.[3][4][5] He was named theCollegiate Baseball Newspaper Freshman of the Year,National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association National Freshman Hitter of the Year and the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year.[6][7] After the season, he played for theUnited States collegiate national team.[8] As a sophomore, Torkelson joinedBob Horner as the only Arizona State players to hit 20 home runs for consecutive seasons.[9] In 2019,Baseball America ranked Torkelson as the No. 1 college prospect in the 2020 draft.[10] After the 2018 and 2019 seasons, he playedcollegiate summer baseball for theChatham Anglers of theCape Cod Baseball League.[11][12] As a junior, Torkelson hit six home runs in aCOVID-19 shortened season, giving him 53 for his ASU career, three shy of ASU's career record.[13]
TheDetroit Tigers selected Torkelson with thefirst overall pick in the2020 Major League Baseball draft.[14] On June 30, 2020, he signed with the Tigers for $8,416,300, at that time the highestsigning bonus in MLB draft history. The same day, he was added to the Tigers' 60-man player pool.[15]
To begin the 2021 season, Torkelson was assigned to theWest Michigan Whitecaps of theHigh-A Central.[16] After slashing .312/.440/.569 with five home runs and 28 RBIs over 31 games, he was promoted to theErie SeaWolves of theDouble-A Northeast in mid-June.[17] That same month, he was selected to play in theAll-Star Futures Game.[18] Over fifty games with Erie, he batted .263 with 14 home runs and 36 RBIs.[19] On August 15, he was promoted to theToledo Mud Hens ofTriple-A East, where finished the season and hit .238/.350/.481 with 11 home runs and 27 RBIs over 40 games.[20][21] After the Triple-A season ended, he joined theSalt River Rafters of theArizona Fall League.[21]
On April 2, 2022, the Tigers announced that Torkelson had made theirOpening Day roster.[22] His first major league hit was a double offBoston Red Sox pitcherRich Hill on April 12.[23] He hit his first major league home run off Red Sox pitcherAustin Davis on April 13.[24] On July 17, the Tigers optioned Torkelson to Triple-A Toledo. At the time of the demotion, he was hitting .199 with 5 home runs.[25] Torkelson returned to the Tigers as a September call-up, and finished the 2022 season with a batting average of .203, with 8 home runs.
In the 2023 season, Torkelson hit .233 while leading the Tigers in home runs (31), RBI (94) and extra-base hits (66). He became the seventh Tigers player to hit 20 or more home runs in his age-23 season, joiningTravis Fryman,Hank Greenberg,Willie Horton,Matt Nokes,Jason Thompson andRudy York. He is the first Tiger to hit 30 homers sinceMiguel Cabrera andJustin Upton both reached the mark in2016. Also, on July 18, 2023, at Kansas City he became the first Tigers player age 23-or-younger to have three or more extra-base hits and 10 or more total bases in a game sinceNick Castellanos on August 19, 2015, at Chicago (NL).
After struggling for the first two months of the 2024 season, Torkelson was again optioned to Triple-A Toledo on June 3. At the time of the demotion, he was hitting .201 with 4 home runs.[26] He was recalled August 17, and finished the 2024 season hitting .219 with 10 home runs and 37 RBI in 92 games.
The Tigers ended up clinching a Wild Card spot with Torkelson as Detroit's starting first baseman. Torkelson started the postseason 0-14 at the plate with nine strikeouts and three walks. On October 9, in Game 3 of the2024 American League Division Series against theCleveland Guardians, Torkelson recorded his first postseason hit — an RBI double in the sixth inning to put the Tigers up 3-0. That proved to be the final score, as Detroit took a 2-1 lead in the series.[27]
For the 2025 season, Torkelson batted .240 with 78 RBI, while matching his career high with 31 home runs. He went 6-for-33 (.182) in the 2025 postseason, with 3 doubles and 6 RBI.
On January 6, 2026, the Tigers and Torkelson agreed on a one-year, $4.075 million contract, avoiding arbitration.[28]