Spencer Torkelson hit his fourth homer of the spring on Wednesday. He didn't homer once last spring, and it took him 40 games to hit his first homer of the season. He eventually wound up in Toledo. He's building a case to start this year in Detroit.
"His confidence is growing, which is good," A.J. Hinch said Thursday on 97.1 The Ticket. "I think he’s realizing he’s fighting to make this roster. That always brings out a lot of good things in players. And then some of the subtle adjustments -- it does take sort of a trained eye to look at the stance, the athleticism, the approach, the way he’s talking about hitting, the way he’s balancing his search to hit the ball hard but also for power -- all of that has been taken into the games."
Torkelson's first homer of the spring was driven to left. His second went to right, on a fastball on the outer half. Hinch was being interviewed on the TV broadcast at the time and said, "The adjustment with the athletic set-up, obviously a little bit more free, so nice to see him get some benefit from that. What a great swing for him." His third, later that game, went to left center, on a hanging splitter. The fourth was drilled to center, on another fastball. Hitting the heater will likely dictate whether or not Torkelson makes it in the bigs.
"He’s gone oppo, he went pull side, he’s been in late counts, he’s come off of bad at-bats and been a productive hitter," said Hinch. "And I love the edge that he’s playing with. In his own little methodical way, he’s just focused on the things that he can control and he’s trying to make this team. I don't know if any or all of that is different (from last year).
"There's a maturation process for these hitters, but it’s certainly been fun to watch him come in and push to be the best player that he can be in the spring and not just quote-unquote 'prepare for the season.' He’s gotta try to make this team."
Torkelson isn't a natural fit on the roster with the Tigers moving Colt Keith to first base. The former No. 1 pick, who hit 31 homers for Detroit two years ago, is vying for a role as a designated hitter and a power bat off the bench. So is Justyn-Henry Malloy, an outfielder with experience at third -- where the Tigers could use a right-handed hitter to pair with Jace Jung. Malloy impressed the Tigers in the playoffs last season and has also hit the ball well this spring.
Torkelson and Malloy, both 25, are rather redundant as right-handed bats with little defensive value. The Tigers will most likely keep one or the other on the Opening Day roster. But if they both keep hitting, "yes, I think there's a roster that can be made with both those guys," said Hinch.
"And while imperfect on the defensive front, it might help us offensively to combat some of the left-handed pitching we’re going to face (early in the season), and then we can correct it along the way if it needs to change," he said. "We have depth, and we don’t have to commit to a team on the first day of the season being the team for the rest of the season. We’re going to take into account how we can go series by series and put together the best team."