Can Spencer Torkelson of the Tigers achieve new heights in 2024?
A.J. Hinch, the Detroit Tigers manager, stated that Spencer Torkelson’s expectations for 2023 have been elevated. That is likely a diplomatic way of expressing that the Tigers want him to be effective throughout the season, not just in the last two months.
Torkelson, the first overall choice in 2020, concluded 2023 with a team-high 31 home runs and 94 RBIs and was awarded Tiger of the Year. It was his coming-out celebration following a difficult debut season in 2022.
Torkelson, however, is expected to perform even better in 2024. Even by Torkelson himself. “For me, it’s hard to be super-happy, like I’ve made it,” he remarked in an interview last month. “I thought it was a good year, but it’s nowhere near what I believe I’m capable of.”
That’s not to suggest that everything went smoothly in 2023. Torkelson struggled at the plate throughout the first part of the season and struggled to adapt to baseball’s post-shift world as a first baseman. However, Torkelson did overcome the most essential initial hurdle that every rookie player must overcome, whether picked first or 300th: he demonstrated that he belonged and was here to stay. “When you’re an uber-talented, high-profile player who sort of notable before you even take your first at-bat, that comes with a ton of spotlight and a ton of responsibility,” Hinch told ESPN. “He didn’t always have a smooth ride.
So Hinch claimed the first thing he told Torkelson at least season’s end interview was a simple “congratulations.”
