Tigers take ASU slugger Spencer Torkelson 1st overall in MLB draft

With the first pick of the 2020 MLB Draft, the Detroit Tigers selected Spencer Torkelson, a corner infielder out of Arizona State.

The prodigious slugger has also played corner outfield during his collegiate career but most scouts see him sticking at first in the majors. The Tigers announced the California native as a third baseman.

"I told my dad just now, 'You could punch me in the face and I don't think I'd feel it,'" Torkelson said on ESPN shortly after being drafted, according to Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic.

As for being asked to man the hot corner, Torkelson said, "It's not a shock to me. I pride myself as a baseball player, and a baseball player isn't stuck in one position," per Stavenhagen.

Undrafted out of high school, Torkelson turned heads as a freshman en route to becoming the most coveted bat of the 2020 class.

Torkelson is the only college first baseman to be drafted with the top overall selection and the first true first baseman to be taken No. 1 since Adrian Gonzalez in 2000.

Torkelson represents a continued trend of teams selecting right-right first basemen with early picks after the Chicago White Sox drafted Andrew Vaughn third overall last year.

Bio

Age: 20
Position: 1B
Height/Weight: 6-foot-1, 220 lbs
Bats/Throws: R/R
School: Arizona State
Pick value: $8,415,300

Tools

• Best power in the class
• Elite plate discipline
• All-fields approach
• Above-average defender at first

Why you're going to love this guy

• Broke Barry Bonds' freshman home run record for ASU
• Finished three homers shy of ASU record due to shortened 2020
• Expected to progress quickly through minors
• Earned comparisons to Pete Alonso

Things he'll need to overcome

• Below-average speed
• 15 intentional walks in final college season could hamper development

2020 stats

Take a look ...

(Video source: Prospect Pipeline)