Tigers draft Arizona State slugger Torkelson with No. 1 pick

NEW YORK (AP) — The Detroit Tigers selected Arizona State slugger Spencer Torkelson with the No. 1 pick Wednesday night in the Major League Baseball amateur draft.

The baseball-bashing Torkelson played first base in college, but was announced as a third baseman by Commissioner Rob Manfred.

After having the majors’ worst record last season, Detroit opened the draft for the second time in three years. The Tigers took Auburn right-hander Casey Mize in 2018, and now they’ve got a powerful bat that could anchor their lineup for years to come to go along with an arm they hope is a future ace.

This year’s draft was originally scheduled to be held for the first time in Omaha, Nebraska, as a lead-in to the College World Series. Instead, the coronavirus pandemic caused baseball to make some drastic changes, including holding the draft as a remote event — much like the NFL did in April — and shortening it from three days with 40 rounds to just two days and five rounds.

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred announced the first-round selections, as he has done since taking over for Bud Selig in 2015. Manfred also addressed racial injustice and the recent protests that have taken place all around the country and the world. All 30 team representatives, operating remotely, held up signs at the beginning of the broadcast that read: “Black Lives Matter. United For Change.”

The shortened college and high school baseball seasons presented unique challenges for big league scouting departments, which had to rely more on videos of players instead of attending games to help with their evaluations.

Despite all that, the 20-year-old Torkelson had long been linked to the Tigers with the top pick. Vanderbilt infielder Austin Martin and Texas A&M left-hander Asa Lacy were also believed to be in the mix, but the 6-foot-1, 220-pound...

source https://www.chron.com/sports/article/Tigers-draft-Arizona-State-slugger-Torkelson-with-15331383.php