Detroit Tigers' Scott Harris: Spencer Torkelson 'is still a part of our future'
The Detroit Tigers are counting on Spencer Torkelson.
Torkelson, the 2020 No. 1 overall draft pick who has been demoted twice to Triple-A Toledo in three seasons, is expected to be the first baseman of the future under president of baseball operations Scott Harris.
"He is still a part of our future," Harris said.
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Harris didn't answer the question about whether Torkelson would return to the Tigers in 2024 or wait until 2025, but he offered insight into the way Torkelson fits in to his long-term plan.
"We have a lot of faith in Tork," Harris said after Tuesday's trade deadline. "He has work to do in Triple-A, and he's hard at work in Triple-A to make a compelling case to come back here and demonstrate that he can be our first baseman of the future, but we have all the faith in the world in Tork. We know he's going to do it."
In the 2024 season, Torkelson hit .201 with four home runs and a .597 OPS in 54 MLB games for the Tigers, also worth minus-6 defensive runs saved at first base.
At the Triple-A level, Torkelson is actively hitting .247 with eight home runs and an .805 OPS in 44 games. He hit .229 in his first 37 games with the Mud Hens, but he has been red-hot in his latest seven games, including two home runs — producing seven RBIs — in Sunday's 10-5 win against the Louisville Bats.
The Tigers optioned Torkelson on June 3 to Triple-A Toledo.
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Without Torkelson, the Tigers have Bligh Madris, Gio Urshela and Andy Ibáñez as the primary options at first base. (Mark Canha, who handled the bulk of first base reps in the first month after Torkelson's demotion, was traded to the San Francisco Giants.)
Madris has started the last six games at first base.
In his three-year MLB career, Torkelson has a .218 batting average with a .683 OPS across 323 games, spanning 1,318 plate appearances. He hit 31 home runs in 2023.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers' Scott Harris: Spencer Torkelson still part of future
