Detroit Tigers: How Spencer Torkelson has been the best rookie of 2022

One of the big storylines of Spring Training was the new measures to prevent service time manipulation for MLB prospects. It was a big topic considering that four of MLB.com’s Top 10 prospects were right on the border of being in the majors. They included San Diego Padres shortstop C.J. Abrams, Seattle Mariners outfielder Julio Rodríguez, Kansas City Royals infielder Bobby Witt, Jr., and Detroit Tigers infielder Spencer Torkelson.

Unlike some of the top prospects who were held down to start the season in years past (like the Chicago Cubs and Kris Bryant in 2015), all four of them made the Opening Day roster for their respective teams.

But, unlike Bryant and others, the former three prospects have all struggled at the MLB level in the first 2+ weeks of the season. Abrams has an OPS+ of 49 in 12 games. Witt is at 57 OPS+ through 16 games and Rodríguez isn’t much better at 66 OPS+ in 16 games.

Spencer Torkelson, however, is fairing much better. While he’s only hitting .224 for his batting average, he has an OPS of .785, which is good enough for a 137 OPS+.

But why has Torkelson been better at the plate than the others so far?

Detroit Tigers manager A.J. Hinch thinks that Spencer Torkelson is “very mature” for his lack of MLB experience

Before Sunday’s series finale with the Colorado Rockies, Detroit Tigers manager A.J. Hinch told Call To The Pen why he thinks that Spencer Torkelson has seen success in the majors to start the 2022 season.

“He controls the strike zone (and) he controls his at-bats,” Hinch said in an exclusive conversation. “It doesn’t always lead to success but it provides a comfortable appreciation for his strengths. He knows who he is, he knows what he’s trying to do, he has a plan, (and) he’s very mature for his age.”

The thing that Hinch says that young players, like Spencer Torkelson, can fall into is “a dangerous trap,” a trap of, essentially, trying to do too much.

“When guys get to the big leagues, there’s a general overview that they need to work on a little bit of everything,” Hinch explained. “The dangerous trap that young players fall into are chasing the ‘baseball card’ numbers (when it should be) can you take what the pitcher gives you? Will you take a single to right (field)? Will you fight with two strikes to just get on base and not try to chase the home runs or chase the big numbers? You don’t really work on that as much as you try to mature mentally on how you approach the game.”

So far, Hinch doesn’t think that Torkelson has fallen in that trap. Overall, Hinch thinks that Torkelson only is lacking one thing: experience.

“I think that the one he lacks is experience,” Hinch said, “but if (he) can stay with your plan, stay with (his) regimented program, he can do a lot of things in this game”

Spencer Torkelson on adjusting to the major leagues

For Torkelson’s part, he said that the biggest adjustment that he has had is realizing that, despite being at the highest level now, it’s still the same game he has played for years.

“I think the biggest adjustment (has been) realizing that it’s the same game and that no one’s perfect, everybody’s human,” Torkelson said in an exclusive conversation with Call To The Pen. “You’re going to make mistakes.”

At the plate, with the walks and three homers thus far, Torkelson has had some strikeouts (18 in 49 at-bats). But he’s not concerned about it.

“I’m learning from every single at-bat,” Torkelson said. “(I’m) not too worried about the strikeouts. I know they’re going to happen and, especially, facing these guys for the first time in my career, it’s not easy. I feel myself getting better with each and every at-bat and getting more mature and (I’m just trying to) learn just from every single pitch that’s thrown at me.”

As for realizing that he should be in the major leagues, Torkelson said that he felt it on Opening Day … and pretty early.

“It only took, maybe the first inning (on Opening Day), where (third baseman Jeimer Candelario) had a ground ball and threw it over (to me at first base) and I had to pick it. I picked it and I was like ‘alright, I’m good to go.’ That was a cool moment.”

Here is that play. It was on the second out of the season and just the eighth pitch of the season.