HOUSTON — The Detroit Tigers benched Spencer Torkelson, the 2020 No. 1 overall pick, on Friday for the second of four games against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park.
The 22-year-old, slumping a month into his rookie season, received advice from assistant hitting coach Mike Hessman.
“I definitely like hearing what he has to say,” Torkelson said. “You don’t take everything. No one takes everything from everyone, but bits and pieces have really clicked for me with him.”
HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY: How one mom put two sons into the Tigers’ system
SHAWN WINDSOR: Tigers’ preseason hope just as responsible as lack of offense for early pain
Hessman, a former first baseman, played just 109 MLB games — including 29 over parts of two seasons for the Tigers — but holds the record for minor-league home runs, with 433 in his 19-year career. Hessman, now 44, played 2,307 games with 8,070 at-bats as a professional.
His advice to Torkelson: Separate your performance into segments of 20 at-bats.
“So like, how did I do in those 20 at-bats? I’m 5-for-20? All right, the next 20, pretend it’s a totally different day, whether I’m 0-for-20, 10-for-20,” Torkelson said, explaining Hessman’s lesson. “After those 20 at-bats, move on to the next 20. At the end of the year, you’re going to look back. It’s a long year. You can’t look at the big picture right away. You gotta break it up, which helps a lot.”
Torkelson is hitting .167 (13-for-78) with one double, three home runs, eight RBIs, 12 walks and 31 strikeouts in 25 games. His three homers lead the Tigers, who own the American League’s worst record at 8-19.
He implemented his 20 at-bat mindset upon returning to the lineup Saturday.
Since then, Torkelson is 1-for-6 with one walk and four strikeouts in two games.
“I know that no matter how long I play in this game, I’m going to learn something from somebody,” Torkelson said. “I try it out, and if I don’t like it, I flush it. If I like it, I can hold onto it and it makes me better.”
TAKEAWAYS VS. PITTSBURGH: How Javier Báez made web gem; Austin Meadows explains ‘patient approach’
TAKEAWAYS FROM L.A.: How Tigers crafted MLB’s best bullpen in April: ‘Give us the lead, and we’re good’
Torkelson is constantly adjusting, as opposing teams and pitchers are facing him for the first time in his big-league career. Pitchers tried to get him out with inside pitches at the beginning of the season.
All three of his homers occurred on inside pitches, two at the top of the strike zone and one at the bottom of the zone. The plan from his opponents has since changed; Torkelson hasn’t homered since April 23.
“I’ve handled the inside pitch better than they I thought I could,” Torkelson said, “so now they’re working away. That works right into the approach when I’m going good. … It’s interesting to see how they attack me.”
Right now, though, Torkelson isn’t performing to his standards.
“He’s trying to be a little too perfect,” manager A.J. Hinch said. “Hopefully, he’ll free up a little bit and get a good pitch to hit. We got to get our ‘A’ swings off a little bit more often. This isn’t just for Torkelson, this is for everyone. We have taken some defensive swings and actually put the ball in play, which is worse than swinging and missing.”
He has a 19% chase rate, much better than the 28.3% league average and in the 89th percentile among MLB hitters in 2022. For reference, Juan Soto has an 18.9% chase rate, and Mike Trout is at 19.6%. But Torkelson also owns a 27% swing-and-miss rate (39th percentile) and a 31.8% strikeout rate (ninth percentile).
These metrics reveal Torkelson isn’t swinging at pitches outside the strike zone, a testament to his elite plate discipline, but the top prospect is striking out on pitches inside the zone.
“I’m missing my pitch when I get it,” Torkelson said. “That’s all it is, and that’s an easy fix.”
So, how can Torkelson fix that?
“Just being a little more ready,” he said.
A long way from Houston
Outfielder Robbie Grossman grew up 17 miles from Minute Maid Park, where the Tigers were shellacked and swept in the four-game series. They’ve lost 12 of their past 14 games.
For Grossman, Thursday’s series opener was linked to personal reflection about the beginning of his MLB career.
“It was good and bad and a lot of learning,” Grossman said. “I think I would handle it better now as an older player. … I wouldn’t be here without the early struggles I had in my career.”
THE SKIPPER: Tigers manager A.J. Hinch ‘super happy’ to be in Houston: ‘I call this home’
TAKEAWAYS FROM MINNESOTA: Javier Báez, Carlos Correa building a friendly rivalry? ‘We’ll see’
The Pittsburgh Pirates drafted Grossman in 2008 out of Cy-Fair High School in Cypress, Texas. He made his MLB debut in 2013 for the Astros, meaning his career started in his home city.
And Grossman wasn’t the ballplayer he is in 2022.
Not even close.
“Being a big leaguer is hard enough,” Grossman said, “and being in the city you grew up in, everyone has eyes on you and knows what you do every single night and how well you did, and everyone’s a critic.”
Grossman played 190 games for the Astros from 2013-15.
The Astros demoted him to Triple-A once in 2013, twice in 2014 and once in 2015. The organization released Grossman in November 2015. He didn’t return to the big leagues until May 2016 with the Minnesota Twins.
Hinch managed Grossman in 2015.
“I’ve had to send him to the minor leagues from this ballpark, and he’s grown into a bona fide big-leaguer,” Hinch said. “He’s expected to be a veteran presence, expected to be a leader. He’s been a very productive player, and it starts with learning how to play.
“Where he sees the game now is good for our team. He looks at Akil (Baddoo) or Derek Hill or Tork, guys that are breaking in and going through the same learning issues that he had when he was a young player. That type of experience is invaluable.”
For the Twins in 2016, Grossman hit .280 with 11 home runs in 99 games. He has stayed in the majors since, returning to the minors only for a pair of rehab assignments, one each in 2017 and 2018.
In his second season with the Tigers, the 32-year-old boasts a .263 batting average with four doubles, seven RBIs, 14 walks and 29 strikeouts in 24 games. He has served as the team’s leadoff hitter for 18 games.
“It was hard for me to break in,” Grossman said. “When I finally got my feet settled, I realized how much I needed to grow as a player and a person.”
Along with living in Houston during the offseason, he shows love to his home city with his walk-up song, “Tops Drop” by Fat Pat. The rapper, aka Patrick Hawkins, spent his life in Houston. He died in February 1998 at age 27.
“Tops Drop” has been Grossman’s walk-up song for over five years.
“That’s something I’ve always rolled with,” Grossman said. “Gotta stay true to who I am and where I’m from.”
Something extra
• In the second inning of Thursday’s 3-2 loss, left fielder Willi Castro — who started playing the outfield last season — misplayed a 230-foot fly ball from Jeremy Peña with two outs. He ran toward the warning track and couldn’t recover. The ball, which dropped in for a bloop double, was hit with a 72.9 mph exit velocity and had a .180 expected batting average. The next batter, Chas McCormick, crushed a two-run home run. Then, Martín Maldonado went back-to-back with solo homer for the Astros’ third and final run.
“I didn’t read it as good as the other ones,” Castro said. “I was playing deep because Peña is a power hitter. My first step was back. I thought it was going to be over my head. When I recognized it was going to be in front of me, that’s when I started running in. If I would have recognized it a little better, I would have caught that ball.”
PITCHERS EXPLAIN: What makes Miguel Cabrera one of the greatest hitters ever? Just ask the pitchers he faced
MIGGY GO BOOM: How Miguel Cabrera’s epic baseball journey began in Venezuela
• Right-hander Matt Manning pitched three scoreless innings Sunday in the first start of his rehab assignment with Triple-A Toledo. The Tigers placed him on the 10-day injured list April 20 with right shoulder inflammation. The 24-year-old allowed one hit and struck out four batters without a walk. He threw 24 of 36 pitches for strikes. Manning is likely to need two or three rehab starts before joining the Tigers’ rotation.
• Also in Toledo, but not on a rehab assignment, utility player Kody Clemens is hitting .291 with five doubles, four triples, six homers, 18 RBIs, four walks and 31 strikeouts. The 25-year-old, a left-handed hitter, has a .556 slugging percentage and works defensively at left field, first base, second base and third base. He is on the Tigers’ 40-man roster but hasn’t made his MLB debut.
• The 2021 No. 3 overall pick, right-hander Jackson Jobe, has completed four starts for Low-A Lakeland. The 19-year-old has a 6.14 ERA with five walks and nine strikeouts over 7⅓ innings. Jobe lasted 1⅓ innings in Saturday’s outing, allowing six runs (three earned runs) on four hits and three walks with two strikeouts. He threw 30 of 53 pitches for strikes. His fastball averaged 94.5 mph and topped out at 97.3 mph, and his slider’s spin rate averaged 3,083 rpm.
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him on Twitter @EvanPetzold. Read more on the Detroit Tigers and sign up for our Tigers newsletter.