(Photo by Adam Bettcher/Getty Images)
Spencer Torkelson of the Detroit Tigers was, only a couple of years ago, the top prospect in MLB.
He had an incredibly productive minor league career and was destined for big things in the majors.
However, as it often happens with young hitters, he struggled to adjust to MLB pitching.
There is no shame in that: the jump in competition level from Triple-A to the bigs is by far the hardest of the ladder.
He had a paltry .604 OPS in 2022, his first year.
2023 started more or less on the same note, but there is an important takeaway here: don’t lose your patience with prospects.
Some of them take years to fully develop, and after a year-and-a-half of struggles, Torkelson seems to be taking a step forward.
“‘He has the type of swing that once he gets going, it’s not going to slow.’ @Tigers slugger Spencer Torkelson has been getting comfortable at the plate, homering in 6 of his last 7 games!” MLB Network tweeted with a video of Cameron Maybin and Mark DeRosa breaking down his recent stretch and swing.
“He has the type of swing that once he gets going, it’s not going to slow.”@Tigers slugger Spencer Torkelson has been getting comfortable at the plate, homering in 6 of his last 7 games!#MLBCentral | @CameronMaybin | @markdero7 pic.twitter.com/DRbZUMZIsW
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) August 17, 2023
Don’t look now, but Torkelson is up to a .230/.309/.431 line and a .740 OPS.
That’s much better than what he had been showing.
In his last seven games, “Tork” is slashing .346/.433/1.077 with the six home runs and a double.
Let’s go a little bit further: since June 29, the young slugger is hitting .252/.331/.548 with 12 round-trippers.
He also has a .880 OPS over that span.
That’s actually closer to his talent and potential, and that’s a really good hitter right there.
The Tigers have every reason to watch how Torkelson closes out the season: it could be an indicator of their future potential as a team if Torkelson develops into the hitter we all though he was going to be.
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