Spencer Torkelson’s power has never really been the question. The problem for the Tigers is everything around it.
Detroit took Torkelson with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 MLB Draft expecting a middle-of-the-order bat, the kind of hitter who could change an inning when the lineup put men on base in front of him. He has delivered the home run totals that made that profile so appealing.
In his two complete MLB seasons, 2023 and 2025, he hit 31 homers each year. But the rest of the package has left Tigers fans grinding their teeth.
The frustration starts with the situations that matter most. Torkelson’s production with runners in scoring position has been the constant issue, and the numbers are ugly.
This season, he has 43 RBI despite 16 home runs. In 2025, he drove in 78 runs even while hitting those 31 homers.
For a player slotted where he is in the order, that’s a hard sell.
The split data only sharpens the complaint. With the bases loaded, Torkelson is hitting .081.
With runners on second and third, he’s at .091. There is one bright spot: he’s hitting .311 with runners on the corners.
But that only underscores the bigger problem - the results swing wildly depending on the setup, and there doesn’t seem to be an easy fix.
That unpredictability is what makes him so maddening. Torkelson is on pace for close to 30 home runs again this season, but his batting average is barely above the Mendoza line.
He’s a solid enough first baseman, though not Gold Glove caliber, and that keeps him in the lineup. The power is real.
The consistency isn’t.
What makes it worse for Detroit is that the Tigers can’t simply move on from him. He’s productive enough to justify the role, even if most of the damage comes with the bases empty. That leaves AJ Hinch stuck with a hitter who was supposed to be a run-producer but too often isn’t.
The issue doesn’t stop in the regular season, either. Torkelson has just a .597 OPS in 15 playoff games. So not only has he struggled to cash in runners during the year, he’s also been a guaranteed out in October.
That’s the bind for the Tigers: the power is too useful to ignore, but the production hasn’t matched the billing. And for a player drafted to anchor a lineup, that gap is exactly why the frustration keeps growing.
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