Fantasy News

• Tigers' Spencer Torkelson: Drives in two Friday

  Rotowire Apr 13, 2024

  Torkelson went 2-for-4 with a walk, a run scored and two RBI in Friday's 8-2 win over the Twins. Torkelson is now riding a modest three-game hitting streak, and during that time he's posted a .955 OPS and driven in three. The power still hasn't shown up for the 24-year-old, as he has no home runs through 12 contests after going deep 31 times last season. However, Torkelson has shown in the past that he can launch long balls in bunches, so fantasy managers should remain patient.

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• Tigers' Spencer Torkelson: Doubles, scores twice in win

  Rotowire Apr 6, 2024

  Torkelson went 2-for-4 with two doubles, an RBI and two runs scored in Friday's 5-4 win over the A's. Torkelson has been struggling a bit, as he came into Friday's game batting just .185, but he managed to push that up to .226 with the two hits. The first baseman batted .203 and .233 in his first two MLB seasons, so his average may not climb much higher, but fantasy managers are expecting him to get going in the power department after he launched 31 home runs in 2023.

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• Tigers' Spencer Torkelson: Struggling to get going

  Rotowire Apr 2, 2024

  Torkelson went 0-for-4 in Monday's 5-0 win over the Mets. The season has just got started, so Torkelson's early struggles should be taken with a grain of salt. However, it is hard to ignore his 3-for-17 start to the year, a dreary line that's carried over from spring training. On a positive note, the 24-year-old has been making consistent contact, striking out just three times thus far. Torkelson went down on strikes 171 times in 684 plate appearances last year, and he should be able to build on a strong 2023 if he can dramatically lower that number while maintaining his power.

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• Tigers' Spencer Torkelson: Struggling in early going

  Rotowire Mar 4, 2024

  Torkelson is just 2-for-11 so far in Grapefruit League action with no home runs and four strikeouts. It's very early, so Torkelson will likely get going before the spring slate ends, and he's locked into a starting role at first even if the struggles persist. The 24-year-old impressed in 2023 with 31 home runs across 159 games, though he batted just .233 and struck out 25 percent of the time. If Torkelson can improve his contact skills a bit and still deliver elite power, he should be primed for a big season.

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• Tigers' Spencer Torkelson: Goes deep again Friday

  Rotowire Sep 30, 2023

  Torkelson went 2-for-5 with a solo home run in Friday's loss to the Guardians. Torkelson went deep for the second straight game and seventh time this month, bringing his season total to 31 home runs. The 24-year-old has established himself as a good source of power in his second MLB campaign, and he's managed to increase his batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage from his 2022 rookie season. Torkelson should continue to trend upward in 2024.

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• Tigers' Spencer Torkelson: Reaches 30 home runs

  Rotowire Sep 28, 2023

  Torkelson went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run in Thursday's win over the Royals. Torkelson popped his 30th home run of the season in the 7-3 win, giving him six long balls this month. That's on top of nine home runs in August, as the youngster has upped his power output down the stretch. Torkelson could still stand to improve his .233 batting average from this season in future years, but he's a legitimate slugger who has plenty of fantasy upside.

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• Tigers' Spencer Torkelson: Blasts homer in loss

  Rotowire Sep 20, 2023

  Torkelson went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Tuesday's 3-2 loss to the Dodgers. Torkelson had gone 0-for-9 over his last two games before receiving rest for Monday's series opener. He homered in the first inning to snap the mini-slump, and he's now batting .277 (18-for-65) over 16 contests in September. While he still has a poor .233 batting average, he's posted a .763 OPS, 29 homers, 84 RBI, 83 runs scored and three stolen bases across 148 games this season.

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• Tigers' Spencer Torkelson: Receives rare day off

  Rotowire Sep 18, 2023

  Torkelson is not in the lineup for Monday's game against the Dodgers. Torkelson has started every game since the All-Star break and has not had a day off since June 28, but both streaks will come to an end Monday. Tyler Nevin will get the start at first base in Torkelson's place.

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• Tigers' Spencer Torkelson: Extends hitting streak

  Rotowire Sep 16, 2023

  Torkelson went 2-for-5 with a double, a run scored and two RBI in Friday's win over the Angels. Torkelson extended his hitting streak to six games, a span in which he's gone 9-for-27 with a home run and seven RBI. Overall this month, the youngster is batting a robust .397 with four home runs and 14 RBI across 13 contests. Torkelson is trending up as he nears the end of his second MLB campaign.

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• Tigers' Spencer Torkelson: Launches 28th home run

  Rotowire Sep 13, 2023

  Torkelson went 2-for-4 with a walk and a two-run home run in Wednesday's loss to the Reds. Torkelson got the Tigers on the board in the third inning with his 28th home run of the season. The young slugger has four of those long balls in 11 games this month, and with Detroit still set to play 17 more contests, Torkelson has a strong chance to reach the 30-homer plateau for the first time in his career.

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• Tigers' Spencer Torkelson: Doubles, drives in two Sunday

  Rotowire Sep 10, 2023

  Torkelson went 2-for-4 with a double, a run scored and two RBI in Sunday's 3-2 win over the White Sox. Torkelson has done much of his damage this year with the long ball, but he managed to make an impact Sunday without going deep. The youngster is off to a good start this month, batting .333 in September with six extra-base hits and nine RBI in just nine games. Torkelson seems primed to finish his second MLB campaign on a high note over the next few weeks.

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• Tigers' Spencer Torkelson: Goes deep again Wednesday

  Rotowire Aug 30, 2023

  Torkelson went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's loss to the Yankees. Torkelson went deep in the sixth inning against New York starter Gerrit Cole, giving him 24 home runs this season and nine in August alone. The youngster struck out in his other three at-bats, and he's striking out just under 25 percent of the time on the year. That will be an area for Torkelson to improve upon if he wants to take another step forward in 2024, though he's definitely shown signs of progress in his second MLB campaign.

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• Tigers' Spencer Torkelson: Possible waiver wire pickups

  Rotowire Aug 17, 2023

  I'm of two minds on Torkelson, believing both that he should be better than this and that this is, well, good enough. With two more home runs Wednesday, he's up to six in his past seven games and is batting .252 (40 for 159) with 13 homers and an OPS over .850 in his past 42 games. It makes him the fifth-best first baseman in Head-to-Head points leagues during that stretch, well behind Matt Olson, Freddie Freeman and Cody Bellinger but comparable to anyone else at the position. That's good enough, right? Yet his average exit velocity, max exit velocity and hard-hit rate are all 83rd percentile or better, and his .259 xBA and .478 xSLG are both far better than his actual .230 and .431 marks. Whatever, it's all trending the right way, so let's just enjoy a young hitter coming into his own.

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• Tigers' Spencer Torkelson: Homers two more times Wednesday

  Rotowire Aug 16, 2023

  Torkelson went 2-for-5 with two solo home runs in Wednesday's 8-7 win over the Twins. After going deep Tuesday night, Torkelson hit two more long balls during Wednesday afternoon's contest, bringing him to 21 home runs for the season. The 23-year-old slugger now has four multi-homer games this year, including two of them in the last week against Minnesota.

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• Tigers' Spencer Torkelson: Goes deep twice in win

  Rotowire Aug 9, 2023

  Torkelson went 2-for-4 with a walk, two solo home runs and three runs scored in Wednesday's win over the Twins. It was a three true outcomes night for Torkelson, as he struck out in his other two at-bats. The youngster was in a 2-for-23 slump before Wednesday, and that's kind of been par for the course this year. Torkelson has displayed good pop with 17 home runs, but he's also not making consistent contact with just a .225 batting average.

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• Tigers' Spencer Torkelson: Pops 12th homer

  Rotowire Jul 2, 2023

  Torkelson went 2-for-3 with a two-run home run, a double, two walks and two additional runs scored in Sunday's 14-9 win over the Rockies. Torkelson's seventh-inning blast was his 12th homer of the year and his fourth in his last five games. Over that span, he's gone 7-for-18 (.389) with eight RBI and five walks. It's still a small stretch of success, but it appears the first baseman is getting more comfortable midway through his second big-league season. He's up to a .228/.312/.404 slash line with 42 RBI, 40 runs scored, 18 doubles and two stolen bases through 81 contests.

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• Tigers' Spencer Torkelson: Sleeper hitters for Week 15 (July 3-9)

  Rotowire Jul 1, 2023

  Spencer Torkelson homered once Tuesday and then twice Thursday, which is notable mostly because his Statcast readings suggest he deserves way better than he's gotten so far. With the Tigers boasting the third-best hitter matchups next week, opening with a three-game series against the Athletics, perhaps he can keep it going.

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• Tigers' Spencer Torkelson: Friday's Waiver Wire Targets

  Rotowire Jun 30, 2023

  We keep waiting for Torkelson to figure it out, and maybe Thursday's game will be the start of it, as he smacked a pair of homers and drew two walks. He hit seven homers in June, but has seen his strikeout rate spike, negating much of the gains. If he can cut the strikeouts while still hitting for power, there's still a path for Torkelson to be a difference-making hitter.

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• Tigers' Spencer Torkelson: Out Wednesday vs. Rangers

  Rotowire Jun 28, 2023

  Torkelson is not in the starting lineup versus the Rangers on Wednesday. Torkelson gets a day off after hitting his ninth homer of the season in the loss to Texas on Tuesday. Tyler Nevin is hitting seventh and playing first base, with Torkelson beginning Wednesday's bout on the bench.

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• Tigers' Spencer Torkelson: Pops ninth home run

  Rotowire Jun 27, 2023

  Torkelson went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Tuesday's 8-3 loss to the Rangers. Torkelson had the only extra-base hit for the Tigers, delivering his ninth long ball of the season in the eighth inning. The 23-year-old has now surpassed his home run total from his 2022 rookie campaign in 33 fewer games, which is a promising sign for his power development. He's still struggling to make consistent contact, however, with a .218 batting average.

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