Biography

BIOGRAPHY

Spencer Torkelson was born August 26, 1999, in Petaluma, California. He is an infielder in the MLB.

The Detroit Tigers selected Torkelson with the first overall pick in the 2020 Major League Baseball draft. On June 30, 2020, he signed with the Tigers for $8,416,300, the highest signing bonus awarded in MLB draft history. The same day, he was added to the Tigers' 60-man player pool.

To begin the 2021 season, Torkelson was assigned to the West Michigan Whitecaps of the High-A Central. After slashing .312/.440/.569 with five home runs and 28 RBIs over 31 games, he was promoted to the Erie SeaWolves of the Double-A Northeast in mid-June. That same month, he was selected to play in the All-Star Futures Game. Over fifty games with Erie, he batted .263 with 14 home runs and 36 RBIs. On August 15, he was promoted to the Toledo Mud Hens of Triple-A East, where finished the season and hit .238/.350/.481 with 11 home runs and 27 RBIs over 40 games. After the Triple-A season ended, he joined the Salt River Rafters of the Arizona Fall League.

On April 2, 2022, the Tigers announced that Torkelson had made their Opening Day roster. His first major league hit was a double off Boston Red Sox pitcher Rich Hill on April 12. He hit his first major league home run off Red Sox pitcher Austin Davis on April 13.