The main prospect of the Detroit Tigers, Spencer Torkelson, he made his way to High-A West Michigan to Double-A Erie, gaining a rise in the organizational ladder along with the Senior Catching Prospect Dillon Dingler.
The promotions put Detroit’s top three offensive prospects – and three of the Tigers top four prospects – in Erie, linking Torkelson and Dingler with outfielder Riley Greene. Add shortstop Ryan Kreidler, who shares the team lead with six home runs, and four of Detroit’s top 21 prospects will be in the same formidable lineup:
It’s the second collection of prospects in as many seasons for the SeaWolves, who had Casey Mize, Tarik Skubal, Matt Manning, Alex Faedo and Joey Wentz on their rotation in 2019.
The Tigers announced the moves Sunday night. Both had been anticipated following comments from general manager Al Avila on Friday that the main office was discussing when to move the Torkelson / Dingler duo.
Torkelson, 21, and Dingler, 22, spent six weeks in West Michigan, the first Minor League stop of their respective professional careers, after spending spring training at Major League Baseball camp as guests outside of the roster
Torkelson, the No. 3 prospect on MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 list, struggled his first 2 1/2 weeks, going 1-for-50 with two extra-base hits, both doubles, 14 walks and 18 strikeouts. His advanced judgment of the strike zone was evident, but he took the time to turn that into solid contact.
Once he started to focus shots, he quickly heated up, displaying the formidable power that made him a star at Arizona State. He hit his first professional home run on May 22 at Wisconsin as part of a three-hit game, and then broke down in tears.
From that game through Sunday, Torkelson was 59-25 (.424) with nine doubles, five home runs and 20 RBIs. Among his majestic Tork Bombs was a 442-foot home run straight to center field on June 3 against the Great Lakes Loons in Midland, Michigan.
Torkelson’s 1.009 OPS tops High-A Central. His .440 on-base percentage ranks second. His .312 average ranks fourth.
For his part, Dingler had a firmer road in the league, hitless in just 32 games, delivering consecutive no-hitters just twice. He hit .240 with an .836 OPS in May before starting June with four straight multi-hit games, including a three-hit performance against the Great Lakes Loons that included a 445-foot grand slam and a pair of doubles.
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Dingler ends his tenure with the Whitecaps hitting .287 with eight home runs and 24 RBIs. His .925 OPS is the fourth best in the league.