DETROIT – The Detroit Tigers completed the 2020 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft on Thursday night. The club made six selections over the two-day draft, including selecting Arizona State 3B Spencer Torkelson with the first overall pick. All six selections made by the Tigers were position players, while five of the six picks were from the collegiate ranks. Information on each player selected is below:
Round 1 (1st overall pick)
Spencer Torkelson | 3B | 6-1 | 220 | R/R | 20 (DOB: 8/26/1999) | Arizona State University
About Torkelson: Torkelson, 20, established himself as one of the top hitters in NCAA history over his two-plus seasons as a Sun Devil, batting a combined .337/.463/.729 with 33 doubles, 54 home runs and 130 RBI. His home run total was just two shy of tying Bob Horner’s school record of 56 homers. Torkelson was a unanimous All-American and was selected to play for the U.S. Collegiate National Team in 2018 and 2019.
Belting 25 home runs as a freshman in 2018 and 23 as a sophomore in 2019, Torkelson became just the third player in Pac-12 history to have consecutive seasons with 25-or-more longballs. If he had hit 25-or-more home runs in his junior season, Torkelson would have cracked the NCAA top-10 all-time leaderboard, a feat accomplished by just one player since 2000.
Torkelson hit .340/.598/.780 with four doubles, six home runs and 11 RBI in 17 games during his abbreviated junior season.
Round 2 (38th overall pick)
Dillon Dingler | C | 6-2 | 215 | R/R | 21 (DOB: 9/17/1998) | Ohio State University
About Dingler: Dingler, 21, played in 115 games over his three years with the Buckeyes, hitting .276/.367/.442 with 21 doubles, four triples, 12 home runs and 50 RBI. He was named second team All-Big Ten and to the Big Ten All-Tournament Team as a sophomore in 2019, and was selected to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team in 2018.
Dingler put up impressive numbers in his shortened junior season, batting .340/.404/.760 with four doubles, one triple, five home runs and 14 RBI. At the time that the 2020 season was suspended, Dingler was tied for the Big Ten lead in home runs, while he was second in the conference, 23rd nationally and sixth among all Division I catchers in slugging percentage.
Competitive Balance Round B (62nd overall pick)
Daniel Cabrera | LF | 6-1 | 195 | L/L | 21 (DOB: 9/5/1998) | Louisiana State University
About Cabrera: Cabrera, 21, saw time in 140 games in his career at LSU, hitting .305/.392/.518 with 33 doubles, four triples, 22 home runs and 116 RBI. In 2018, he was named a freshman All-American by Baseball America, the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association, Perfect Game, D1 Baseball and Collegiate Baseball. He was also selected to the All-SEC Freshman Team and played for the U.S. Collegiate National Team.
As a junior in 2020, Cabrera hit .345/.466/.500 with three doubles, two home runs and 12 RBI in 17 games before the season was prematurely ended. He was tied for the team lead in RBI and in hits (20).
Round 3 (73rd overall pick)
Trei Cruz | SS | 6-2 | 195 | S/R | 21 (DOB: 7/5/1998) | Rice University
About Cruz: Cruz, 21, appeared in 131 games over his three seasons at Rice University, hitting .296/.406/.484 with 31 doubles, eight triples, 16 home runs and 97 RBI. He earned second team All-Conference USA honors as a sophomore in 2019 and was named a freshman All-American by Collegiate Baseball in 2018. He was also selected to the Conference USA All-Freshman Team.
During his junior season in 2020, Cruz hit .328/.487/.500 with seven doubles, one home run and eight RBI. He led the Owls in on-base percentage, doubles, runs scored (9), RBI and walks (18).
Round 4 (102nd overall pick)
Gage Workman | 3B | 6-4 | 200 | S/R | 20 (DOB: 10/24/1999) | Arizona State University
About Workman: Workman, 20, played in 124 games with the Sun Devils, batting .298/.372/.496 with 25 doubles, 12 triples, 14 home runs and 81 RBI. Workman was named All-Pac-12 honorable mention and Pac-12 defensive honorable mention as a sophomore in 2019 and was selected a freshman All-American by Collegiate Baseball News in 2018.
Workman saw time in 17 games as a junior in 2020, hitting .250/.316/.471 with four doubles, one triple, three home runs and 14 RBI.
Round 5 (132nd overall pick)
Colton Keith | 3B | 6-3 | 210 | L/R | 18 (DOB: 8/14/2001) | Biloxi HS (MS)
About Keith: Keith, 18, was named Mississippi’s Gatorade Player of the Year in 2019 after hitting .527 as a junior at Biloxi High School. He was also named a second team high school All-American by Collegiate Baseball. Keith participated in Major League Baseball’s Prospect Development Pipeline in 2019, playing in eight games with “Team Jeter.” Keith was selected a 2020 preseason All-American and to the preseason Southeast All-Region first team by Perfect Game.
–TIGERS–
