Tigers' Spencer Torkelson has almost entirely stopped doing something — and it might be a problem
TL;DR
Spencer Torkelson of the Detroit Tigers is struggling in 2026, hitting .218 with no home runs. His significant decline in first-pitch swings may be contributing to his performance issues.
Key points
- Spencer Torkelson is hitting .218 in 2026.
- He has no home runs and a .650 OPS.
- Torkelson's first-pitch swing rate has significantly declined.
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.
This season, Torkelson has swung at just 10.1% of his first pitches.
No one has dropped off in that stat more than the 21.4 percentage point decline of Torkelson.
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Of course, that wouldn't have to be bad. If Torkelson isn't getting good pitches to hit early in counts, not swinging might be the right plan.
He actually ranks in the 99th-percentile in MLB in chase rate, meaning he swings at pitches out of the strike zone at a lower rate than pretty much everyone else in baseball.
Torkelson has done a good job of walking, getting a base on balls in 18.8% of his plate appearances.
But he's not in the Tigers' lineup to walk, either. He's there to do damage, and so far he hasn't done that.
Not always, but sometimes the first pitch is the best one a hitter will get in an entire at bat. Torkelson isn't really thinking like that in the early going.
His struggles may be attributable to other things. But one way to try and turn it around may be a bit more aggression in the box. It'd have at least a chance of helping the cause.
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Q&A
Why has Spencer Torkelson's performance declined in 2026?
Spencer Torkelson's performance has declined due to a significant reduction in first-pitch swings, which is the largest year-to-year decline in MLB.
What are Spencer Torkelson's current batting statistics for 2026?
As of April 16, 2026, Spencer Torkelson is hitting .218 with no home runs and a .650 OPS.
How does Torkelson's first-pitch swing rate compare to other MLB players?
Torkelson has experienced the largest decline in first-pitch swinging among all MLB players, which may be impacting his hitting performance.
