Detroit Tigers: Spencer Torkelson will ultimately spend time at first after all

Detroit Tigers prospect Spencer Torkelson could be headed back to first base.

In June of 2020, when the Detroit Tigers selected Spencer Torkelson with the first overall selection in the 2020 MLB First-Year Amateur Player Draft, they shocked the fanbase. They did not shock them by taking Torkelson but rather announcing that he was selected as a third baseman.

Torkelson is an athlete, a pure and athletic talent that will be extremely good as he keeps developing. He was moved to third base, where he has found a new home. There is no doubt that Torkelson could mold into a third baseman and be a stellar player.

He is the type of kid who can get better defensively and wind up being a solid defender as well as the amazing hitter he is supposed to be. However, could Torkelson find himself going back to the position in which he played in college for the Arizona State University Sun Devils?

There’s a possible scenario in which Torkelson gets moved back over to first base to be the future clutch hitter this organization has been waiting for. Torkelson is rumored to be able to hit, similar to Pete Alonso, ability-wise.

A pure bat with roaring power who will lock down the middle of the Tigers lineup in the future as Torkelson makes his way to the big leagues and takes this role. If he can be a first base/third base combo guy who has versatility, it just adds to the potential value he can bring to the table.

However, watch for Torkelson to move back to first base sooner than later as he keeps progressing. With the 2021 season on track to get going as most fans would expect, could Torkelson get a call-up during the 2021 season?

Regardless of when this is the 2021 season or later, he might come into the Tigers clubhouse to be a platoon over at first, sliding over to third base when it is needed. Torkelson could platoon with Jeimer Candelario over at first. Both of them could be first/third combo guys; this allows even more flexibility.

Torkelson might get moved to first base while Candelario plays third base. It may not be a permanent basis, but expect Torkelson to get bumped back to the position in which he started at when he was in college.

The fact is, Torkelson is going to be an incredible prospect and a future star for the Tigers organization for years to come. New manager A.J. Hinch should be excited to call up Torkelson and see what he is made of once that time comes. Torkelson might crack the big leagues in late 2021 to get some big-league at-bats; he might see some time at first base.

It will just depend on how the Tigers want to handle Torkelson’s service time but expect him to make a quick rise to the big leagues. As much as the Tigers fanbase was shocked about Torkelson being moved to third base, the versatility may work out really well for this organization.

Keep an eye on Spencer Torkelson during the 2021 season as he keeps working through the Detroit Tigers organization.