Tigers Draft Slugging 1B Spencer Torkelson First Overall

75756A5E-120A-4932-810C-2FD980DB785E

The Tigers didn't mess around, didn't try to get cute. 

They did as everyone expected and drafted Spencer Torkelson first overall Wednesday night. 

The Arizona State first baseman is a slugger the club will hope to build around for years to come. Given the absence of minor league baseball right now, we might even see him in Detroit this season.  

Torkelson, who turns 21 in August, was widely considered the most advanced bat in the draft. The only question was whether the Tigers would opt for the athleticism and high ceiling of Vanderbilt 3B/CF Austin Martin. In the end, they went with the player they were drawn to from the start. 

"Torkelson's probably the safer bet," MLB Draft analyst Keith Law told 97.1 The Ticket. "I think we have a better sense of exactly what he is. There’s no doubt about the power, or that he’s going to hit enough at least to get to that power. It’s more a question of what kind of average and on base percentage he’s going to post." 

Torkelson's college resume spoke for itself. He hit 48 homers over his first two seasons, breaking ASU's freshman home run record that previously belonged to Barry Bonds. And he was off to another scorching start this year, with a slugging percentage of .780 and more than twice as many walks as strikeouts. 

He also produced in the Cape Cod wood-bat league, a good sign for his big-league future. 

It's rare to see first basemen go first overall. But it worked out the last time it happened, when the Marlins, under then-director of scouting Al Avila, took Adrian Gonzalez in 2000.

Now in Detroit, Avila will hope similar things are in store for Torkelson.