Detroit Tigers: Spencer Torkelson rebounded well in second half of 2022

Detroit Tigers corner infielder Spencer Torkelson rebounded well.

The Detroit Tigers have been hoping Spencer Torkelson would settle in nicely for the team’s second half of the season. However, after a rough first half, he was demoted to the Triple-A squad to join the Toledo Mud Hens.

After a brief stint with the Mud Hens, he was called back up, where he was able to finish off the season with Torkelson. The Detroit Tigers saw him come back with a vengeance when he did return.

Even though he slowed a bit, he still came out on the other end of the season with a much better performance than he started with. The important thing is that the Tigers have seen Torkelson begin to settle in nicely by the end of the season.

No reason to twist the words. He’s got room to improve, and there are going to be some things riding on Torkelson and his performance moving forward. On the other hand, he should be able to spend the offseason working on things and then come back with a fresh start in 2023.

Let’s look further at Spencer Torkelson’s season with the Detroit Tigers.

Overall, with the Detroit Tigers putting the final touches on their 2022 season, Torkelson logged 110 games in the big leagues, where he accumulated 404 plate appearances. He managed a .203/.285/.319 slash line with 37 walks, 16 doubles, a triple, and eight home runs to his credit.

The final line could be better, but with a good majority of his stats coming in his crappy first half of the season, it’s to be expected. Before his demotion, Torkelson had logged 83 of 110 games, which totaled 298 plate appearances.

Torkelson slashed a measly .197/.282/.296 with 29 walks and 76 punchouts. He had some things to work on, being almost too selective and just not hitting at a level the Tigers were hoping he would.

Some time in Toledo was not the worst thing for him. He got things rolling and finished the second half with the team after returning for September once the rosters expanded to 28 names. He finished the season with a 27-game, 106-plate appearance stint with the Tigers.

Torkelson slashed .219/.293/.385 with nine extra-base hits. He cut down on the strikeout rate a small percentage, which is good, but his selectiveness was still something to improve. It’s not that we want Torkelson swinging through sliders in the dirt 24/7, but being able to jump on more pitches helps him avoid having to fight pitches off later in counts.

Again, he’s improved and looked better than he did before. While he was the first overall pick, and the initial thought was that he would be a significant benefit to the lineup, there’s still time. It’s not that Torkelson is a bust, but things need to keep moving in the right direction when 2023 rolls around.

It will be interesting to see how this offseason treats Torkelson. There has to be an expectation that he starts to settle in and performs much better when the 2023 season finally comes into focus.

However, that’s a long way away, and the landscape of the Tigers could change drastically between now and next Spring. Torkelson should focus on his development this offseason and emerge on the other side looking more and more like an everyday big leaguer.