The problem is simple.
The solution is complex.
Detroit Tigers rookie first baseman Spencer Torkelson can’t hit pitches in the middle of the strike zone.
On Sunday, the Tigers optioned Torkelson to Triple-A Toledo after the final game before the All-Star break was postponed due to rain at Progressive Field in Cleveland. His return will be dictated by his approach at the plate, and his swing could need several tweaks.
“I’m definitely more confident in my approach,” Torkelson said Thursday in Cleveland, three days before getting demoted to the minor leagues. “I’m getting my ‘A’ swing off more.”
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Torkelson, in his 83 games in the big leagues, batted .210 against fastballs, .139 against four-seam fastballs and .147 against pitches over the heart of the plate, known in baseball terms as “middle-middle” pitches. Over the past couple months, Torkelson — known for his advanced plate discipline — has chased too many down-and-away pitches.
But missing middle-middle pitches is his biggest problem.
“In a count that I can’t strike out in, why not try to get my ‘A’ swing off?” Torkelson said. “If I’m dead red on a fastball, and I’m sitting on a fastball, and he throws me a good slider, I’m OK with swinging through it and getting to the next pitch. But if he does throw me that fastball, I’m going to do damage.”
Due to the middle-middle issue, Torkelson has posted a .197 batting average and a .577 OPS in 264 at-bats, along with 11 doubles, five home runs, 21 RBIs, 29 walks and 76 strikeouts.
Torkelson has 12 multi-hit games (including three three-hit games) and 46 games without a hit. Here’s his homer log: April 13 at Comerica Park, April 15 at Kauffman Stadium, April 23 at Comerica Park, May 18 at Tropicana Field and July 3 at Comerica Park.
“Tork is going to be a good baseball hitter,” general manager Al Avila said July 6. “He’s going to be a good hitter. He’s making himself into, I think, a Gold Glove first baseman. It’s just a matter of time. Right now, I’m not sure what we’re going to do. Which way is the best way to go? We’re still evaluating that. Time will tell what we do there.”
His results made him the worst rookie in baseball, one of the worst hitters in all of the majors and a problem — for the Tigers, rather than opposing pithers — in the everyday lineup, despite his above-average defense at first base.
Remember, the Tigers are counting on Torkelson to be a key piece of the franchise’s future. Right now, it’s fair to wonder if he will become the cornerstone player the organization envisioned upon selecting him No. 1 overall in 2020 out of Arizona State.
“I don’t look at the game that way, at those little boxes that everyone wants to look at,” manager A.J. Hinch said July 11 in Kansas City. “I’m sorry. I understand it. I know he’s had some struggles in the middle of the plate. But I’m not sure you can coach him and say, ‘Hey, hit the ball in the middle a little bit more.’ Obviously, he’s got some learning to do and some growing to do.”
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So, why is Torkelson missing middle-middle pitches?
Mechanics.
This is where the complexity arrives. Significant changes — whether in-season or during the offseason — could be necessary for Torkelson to thrive at the highest level. His mechanics aren’t allowing him to adjust and attack pitches he’s supposed to crush. Torkelson too often ends up in a weak position when his front foot hits the ground, a product of inconsistent timing. He either whiffs or doesn’t hit the ball hard enough, even when the pitch travels over the heart of the plate.
Torkelson, though, doesn’t seem willing to budge, or at least he hasn’t so far in his 83-game MLB career. After all, it wasn’t too long ago scouts raved about his pure swing at the college level.
But this isn’t college ball.
“It’s more mindset than mechanics,” Torkelson said May 18 in St. Petersburg. “My swing is my swing.”
Something must change.
That’s why Torkelson is headed to Triple-A Toledo.
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him on Twitter @EvanPetzold. Read more on the Detroit Tigers and sign up for our Tigers newsletter.