The Detroit Tigers selected phenom Spencer Torkelson with the 1st overall pick in last year’s MLB Draft, and selected him with as a third baseman.
Of course, Torkelson had previously played first base. But it looks as though his new position is set. In fact, manager A.J. Hinch confirmed as much:
Also: A.J. Hinch said Torkelson will play exclusively third base this spring.
— Cody Stavenhagen (@CodyStavenhagen) February 22, 2021
During his offseason training, Torkelson trained exclusively for third base.
“The Tigers told me to work on the third-base glove,” he explained in January, “so that’s what I’ve been doing. … Extremely happy over at third base. Just want to get more repetitions at game speed. As much as possible.”
And we’re already seeing what he can do playing the position. He made a slick defensive play with the Lake Erie SeaWolves, diving to snag what could have been an extra base hit:
Spencer.
Torkelson.
Defense.Thanks for coming
🎙 @Greg_Gania pic.twitter.com/2Sq1qFlTy8
— Erie SeaWolves (@erie_seawolves) June 30, 2021