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The Detroit Tigers agreed to strike a deal with their first draft pick, who was also the best overall pick earlier this month: Arizona state slugger Spencer Torkelson. The signing bonus included with the deal, according to Jim Callis of MLB.com, is a record $ 8,416,300. That figure dwarfs the record set last year by Orioles recruit Adley Rutchsman at $ 8.1 million.
The Tigers recruited Torkelson as third base, though that obviously doesn’t mean he can’t move to first base or serve as a designated hitter. This is what our lead expert, RJ Anderson, said about Torkelson prior to his No. 1 pick:
Torkelson walked in 31 of his 82 plate appearances during the NCAA shortened season, but still managed to improve his career home run count to 54 in 498 at-bats. Torkelson has the required eye, strength, and control of the barrel to shape up as a quick hit. The biggest knock on him is that he’s just a right-handed first baseman, and those rarely make a satisfying early pick – he’s basically a taste of the ballad of Andrew Vaughn, the third pick in last year’s draft. Don’t be surprised when Torkelson ends up going higher than Vaughn, maybe even first.
Some explorers believe that Torkelson is almost ready for the MLB or ready at the moment to participate in meaningful games in the major leagues. We haven’t seen a player go straight from college to the majors since Mike Leake. The last player in position to do it? According to my research, it’s Joey Amalfitano who did it in 1954 for the New York Giants.
In a normal season, we wouldn’t even be having this conversation regarding Torkelson. However, with the shutdown due to the pandemic and the MLB post-2021 collective bargaining agreement, circumstances are ripe for a quick debut for Torkelson.
The CBA fight will surely include something about the manipulated service time of the young men who seem to be ready for the MLB (Kris Bryant is the perfect example here). As such, many offices may realize that time-of-service rules are going to change and it would be in their best interest to behave more liberally with regard to promoting the best prospects.
The prediction here is that Torkelson is added to the Tigers taxi squad and spends the season there unless they are pressured in emergency mode (with injuries and illnesses) or are surprisingly contending and hitting well against the taxi squad launchers. . However, don’t be surprised if we see him in MLB action this season.
