When the Detroit Tigers used the first overall pick in the 2020 MLB draft on first baseman Spencer Torkelson, they marked him as the man they hoped would lead the franchise's turn back to relevancy after years wandering Major League Baseball's deserts.
Almost five years later, the Tigers have pulled off the turnaround they envisioned under manager A.J. Hinch, but Torkelson has been far from the player leading the charge.
Now at the age of 25, the clock is ticking for Torkelson to become the player Detroit hoped he would be, as Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter listed the righty as one of seven former top prospects entering make-or-break seasons in 2025.
Unfortunately for Torkelson, he may not get much of an opportunity to turn things around, as he is not a part of Detroit's projected starting lineup, according to Fangraphs.
The Tigers missed out on adding Alex Bregman to round out their infield, but they added former New York Yankee slugger Gleyber Torres to play second base, leaving young lefties Jace Jung and Colt Keith at the corner spots and Kerry Carpenter as the designated hitter.
That leaves Torkelson either as a platoon specialist against left handed pitchers or in Triple-A Toledo to start 2025, and there are reasons to believe that both situations could be beneficial in building his confidence.
In his career, Torkelson has gotten on base and collected hits against lefties and righties at similar rates, but his power output is significantly improved against southpaws, to the tune of a .470 career slugging percentage against them compared to a .367 mark against right-handers.
If Hinch can deploy him in such a way that allows him to face mostly lefties, Torkelson's overall numbers will improve, and perhaps he could build toward progressing his overall game from the plate.
On the flip side, Torkelson fared fairly well with Toledo across 58 games in 2024, hitting .239/.356/.443 and clubbing 11 home runs. Those numbers are solid, but they don't quite reflect a player who has absolutely mastered that level to the degree where it's unconscionable to give them more time there.
There were numerous trade rumblings involving Torkelson throughout the offseason, but for now he is staying put in the Motor City. He's lost his job as the starting first baseman, but it's not yet time to give up on his potential, even if it currently does not seem as lofty as it did before the 2022 campaign, when he held the No. 4 spot in MLB.com's top 100 prospect rankings.