baseball

Tigers' Spencer Torkelson has almost entirely stopped doing something — and it might be a problem

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Could this explain Torkelson's struggles?

Tigers' Spencer Torkelson has almost entirely stopped doing something — and it might be a problem originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here . Spencer Torkelson finally broke out last season.

The Detroit Tigers ' former No. 1 overall pick hasn't followed that trend so far in 2026. He's hitting just .

218 with no home runs and a . 650 OPS through April 16. A look at his numbers finds one thing that has changed more than anything else: first-pitch swings.

Torkelson has the largest year-to-year decline in first-pitch swinging in all of MLB. Last season, he swung at 31. 5% of the first pitches he got.