Detroit — We’ve been watching Spencer Torkelson’s power game take flight with our own eyes. But when viewed through the data lens of Baseball Savant, it casts it in a different light.
Entering play Friday, Torkelson was one of nine players with 50 barrels. Statcast defines a barrel as balls struck with a combination of exit velocity and launch angle most conducive to hitting home runs and extra-base hits.
The first eight players on that list are: Shohei Ohtani (66), Ronald Acuna Jr. (61), Matt Olson (61), Mookie Betts (52), Pete Alonso (52), Adolis Garcia (52), Matt Chapman (52) and Corey Seager (52).
That’s the company Torkelson is keeping these days.
“He’s been more disciplined in his approach and in what his plan is,” manager AJ Hinch said. “You can’t cover everything in one singular approach. You have to go in with a plan and stay disciplined to that plan. He’s getting better at that.
“The pitches he’s covering are the pitches he has planned to cover. He’s not wildly covering nothing while looking for everything.”
His 23 homers rank 14th in the American League and he’s in the top 10 percentile in baseball in all three of the top power metrics — barrel rate, exit velocity and hard-hit rate.
As Baseball Savant’s data showed, Torkelson’s gains in those three areas is eye-popping.
From last season to now, his average exit velocity has improved from 90.5 mph to 92.4 mph.
His hard-hit rate has increased from 41.8% to 52.3%. That means that more than half of the balls he puts in play have an exit velocity of at least 95 mph.
And his barrel rate has gone up from 8.4% to 14.5%.
“The best thing he does, he’s the same regardless of outcome,” Hinch said. “When he had that stretch of games where he was hitting homers off breaking balls, it’s the same process after the at-bat.”
Torkelson comes back to the dugout, grabs his iPad and goes through a review process with the hitting coaches. Then he grabs his glove and goes out to play first base.
“And during those stretches earlier in the year when he was hitting line drives to the left fielder or the third baseman, he would come in, grab his iPad and go through the same process,” Hinch said. “That’s going to win out over time. If you can emotionally handle the peaks and valleys of the outcome, then your process becomes rock-solid.”
Live BP for Mize
Finally, Casey Mize will get to compete.
Less than 15 months since he had both Tommy John surgery and back surgery, the Tigers right-hander will face some hitters before the game Saturday in a live bullpen session.
“Any form of competition is well-received,” Mize said Friday. “It’ll be good. It’s just getting my work in but it’s the first competition, the next cog in the wheel of this whole process.”
Hinch said it would be roughly one inning and it’ll probably be no more than three hitters.
“It’ll be good for him,” Hinch said. “I know he’s been waiting to do that for a while. We’re finally relaxing the reins a little bit. It’s not a ton different, other than in intent with the hitter in the box. It’s the next step for him and he’s earned it with the work he’s put in.”
Whether he will be able to see game action this season, even if it’s in the minor leagues, is still more of a hope than a likelihood at this point.
“I’ve always been hopeful of that,” Mize said. “Tomorrow is a good step toward whatever is going to happen.”
chris.mccosky@detroitnews.com
Twitter/X: @cmccosky
Astros at Tigers
▶ First pitch: 6:10 p.m. Saturday, Comerica Park, Detroit
▶ TV/radio: BSD/97.1
SCOUTING REPORT
▶ RHP Hunter Brown (9-9, 4.50), Astros: It’s been an odd month for the Wayne State product. He got roughed up against the Orioles (five runs, six innings), then his next outing was a two-inning relief stint. Then he had another rough start last Sunday against Seattle (six runs in 2⅔ innings). He’s already thrown more innings (128) than he has in any professional season. The Astros may be trying to restrict his workload down the stretch to save some innings for the postseason.
▶ LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (9-6, 3.03), Tigers: His 3.03 ERA would be tied with Gerrit Cole for lowest in the American League if he had enough innings to qualify. His 1.080 WHIP would rank seventh. His 3.2 pitcher’s WAR ranks eighth. Three of his four starts this month have been gems, including his last in Cleveland (6⅔ innings, four hits, one run).