| Detroit Free Press
Detroit Tigers’ Spencer Torkelson crushes homer in instructional league
Detroit Tigers top prospects Riley Greene and Spencer Torkelson put together solid at-bats in the first inning of an instructional league game, Monday, Oct. 19, 2020.
LAKELAND, Fla. — The Detroit Tigers played the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday in instructional league play in Lakeland, Florida, in a matchup of the franchise’s top prospects.
But just when the excitement began in the bottom of the first inning — with a home run from top prospect Spencer Torkelson — the game went into a rain delay and moved to the back fields, which is off limits to media because of COVID-19 protocols.
The Tigers got two runs on Torkelson’s blast to left field, scoring Riley Greene.
Tigers insider Evan Petzold was at Tiger Town for the game. Here’s his breakdown of the home run:
More from Lakeland:
Why Riley Greene might be the best Detroit Tigers prospect of all
Why one Detroit Tigers prospect is trusting the ‘hit doctor’ to elevate his game
What Spencer Torkelson showed in Detroit Tigers instructional league game
Observations
First inning
TOP: Right-hander Marco Jimenez got the start for the Tigers and touched 99 mph with his fastball, but it was consistently around 97 mph. He threw 21 pitches, putting two runners on base: a hit-by-pitch and a walk. While his command was shaky, there wasn’t any hard contact against him. Playing center field, Greene did a nice job tracking and ranging for a shallow pop fly to make the second out of the inning. SCORE: Tigers 0, Blue Jays 0
BOTTOM: Hello, Torkelson. The No. 1 overall pick has come close to homering in an instructional league game — flying out to the warning track in center field and doubling. On Monday, however, he launched a two-run homer to left field. Beforehand, Greene worked a full-count walk, showing once again that he made mental strides in summer camp and at the alternate training site. After Daniel Cabrera’s strikeout looking on a curveball, Kody Clemens reached with an single to end the inning early.
Back to Torkelson’s home run — it came on a 2-2 fastball offering from Blue Jays right-hander Luis Quinones. The launch angle was 39 degrees, and it had a 104-mph exit velocity. The ball traveled 375 feet. SCORE: Tigers 2, Blue Jays 0
Second inning
TOP: The Tigers-Blue Jays went into a rain delay and decided to finish the game on the back field adjacent to Joker Marchant Stadium. SCORE: Tigers 2, Blue Jays 0
Tigers’ starters:
1. RF Parker Meadows
2. CF Riley Greene
3. 3B Spencer Torkelson
4. LF Daniel Cabrera
5. 2B Kody Clemens
6. SS Ryan Kreidler
7. C Cooper Johnson
8. 1B Kerry Carpenter
9. DH Wenceel Perez
Tigers’ bench
1. RF Jose De La Cruz
2. TBD
3. 3B Gage Workman
4. LF Kingston Liniak
5. 2B Andre Lipcius
6. SS Trei Cruz
7. C Sam McMillan
8. 1B Bryant Packard
9. DH Colt Keith
Evan Petzold is a sports reporting intern at the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him on Twitter @EvanPetzold.