Production From Former Detroit Tigers Top Pick Has Been Massive Surprise

The Detroit Tigers have had their offense boosted by the performance of a surprise contributor who slumped last season.

Apr 12, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Detroit Tigers first baseman Spencer Torkelson (20) celebrates after hitting a two run home run during the sixth inning against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field. | Jordan Johnson-Imagn Images

The Detroit Tigers are off to a strong start to the season in first place in the American League Central.

Coming into the year, expectations for the Tigers were high. Last campaign, the team was able to shock the league with an amazing second half of the year and a run in the playoffs, changing the outlook for the franchise.

However, even though they had a great stretch, this was a team that had some notable flaws last year.

A lot of credit has to go to the front office for their aggressiveness this winter, with the team signing multiple veterans.

Most of the improvements went to the pitching staff, but the team was unable to bring in the impact bat that they desired.

Even though the offense was still a concern coming into the season, the team has been able to exceed expectations once again in that area to begin the year.

Zachary D. Rymer of Bleacher Report recently wrote about one of the biggest surprises in baseball being the performance of the lineup for the Tigers.

“The entire Tigers offense has indeed been a surprise, as it's upped its collective wOBA more than any other offense relative to 2024. If they can keep it up, it could prove difficult to deny this team a division title," he wrote.

Last year, the offense of Detroit certainly wasn’t a strong suit for the team. Overall, the unit was young and came up rather flat more times than not.

However, this season appears to be different for the Tigers, who have been much improved in this area.

This winter, Detroit seemed very focused on trying to sign Alex Bregman to fill a void not only at third base, but in their lineup.

The talented slugger would have filled a need at the time for a right-handed bat in the middle of the order capable of driving in runs.

It was a tough blow for the team when they missed on Bregman, but a surprise in-house option filled the role.

Even though it appeared like the Tigers and Spencer Torkelson were destined to part ways this winter, he ended up sticking around and had an excellent spring.

A great spring training forced his way into the lineup on Opening Day, and he hasn’t cooled down since. This year, he is slashing .309/.409/.673 with five home runs and 11 RBI.

The former first overall pick has become exactly what Detroit needed and has sparked the offense. Now, while the sample size isn't huge, it's been really encouraging to see him carry over the excellent spring into the regular season.

If he can continue his strong play, the sky is the limit for the Tigers in 2025.